Published October 20, 2026 at 4:45 PM EDT

In announcing a deal with the Department of Justice on Monday, UNC-Chapel Hill has joined a long line of universities agreeing to demands from the Trump administration in exchange for continued federal government funding.

The 10-page agreement includes provisions on the public university's admission practices and several regulations around antisemitism policies.

Unlike agreements reached between the government and other universities, UNC's did not include monetary expenditures. Last year, Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million. Brown, Cornell, and several other private institutions followed with payouts that ranged from $30 million to $75 million.

The University of Virginia – a public university, like UNC-Chapel Hill – also did not pay the government as part of its settlement.

Additionally, the federal government will resolve 18 federal civil rights investigations and a Department of Justice compliance review against UNC-Chapel Hill. Chancellor Lee Roberts said the deal reinforces a "commitment to the fair and equal treatment of everyone at Carolina."

"For at least a decade, through different presidential administrations, U.S. universities have faced heightened public scrutiny across a range of issues," Roberts said. "We're proud to resolve those issues at Carolina in a way that protects our mission and affirms the civil rights of everyone in our community."

Brianna Atkinson

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WUNC

A pro-Palestinian student rally near the UNC Chapel Hill campus, where two students hold a sign that says "Cops off campus."

The agreement largely involves new mandates to prevent antisemitism. The federal government is requiring UNC-Chapel Hill provide antisemitism training to all students, faculty, and staff – as well as "specific training" to campus police officers. The university must also have a "Title VI Coordinator" to ensure its "addressing prohibited antisemitism."

The federal government also tied masking on campus to this effort. It's requiring UNC-Chapel Hill to follow a state law that arose amid campus pro-Palestinian protests that bans people from wearing masks in public to conceal their identity. The agreement also mandates UNC-Chapel Hill to use additional law enforcement resources when events "warrant" protection of "Jewish and Israeli" students.

The agreement states that any student groups that conduct "antisemitic discriminatory conduct" can be sanctioned, defunded, and suspended.

Zane Reed is a Jewish student at UNC-Chapel Hill and an executive member of TransparUNCy, a political education student group. He says a lot of the language in the deal is too broad and views its antisemitic focus as a kind of Trojan horse.

"It's a way of bringing this means of repressing student protest and free speech onto this campus cloaked in this language of antisemitism that I don't think is (their) genuine concern," Reed said. "... They're doing this at the same time this agreement is targeting resources, programs, and opportunities for other marginalized students (and) students of color."

Much of the remainder of the agreement covers policy changes UNC-Chapel Hill has already made – either through the school’s own volition or by force through UNC System mandates and state law – over the past two years.

The deal mentions Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a case in which UNC-Chapel Hill was also a defendant. The Supreme Court decision bars universities from considering race in its admissions, using "racial proxies," and analyzing racial data to achieve a diverse class.

The agreement prohibits UNC-Chapel Hill from partnering with pipeline programs – which traditionally seek to support underrepresented students pursuing higher education – that involve "protected characteristics."

Brianna Atkinson

Students from across the UNC System hold a rally ahead of a Board of Governors vote to eliminate DEI offices and jobs on public university campuses on May 23, 2024. Nearly a year later, even more programs are at stake as the Trump Administration comes after DEI-related initiatives.

The university must also ensure that scholarships, affinity groups, centers, graduation ceremonies, and other programming don't "limit, disadvantage, or discriminate against" students based on race, color, or national origin. The agreement also states UNC-Chapel Hill cannot "preference foreign students" over U.S. citizens.

UNC-Chapel Hill already changed much of its supports for underrepresented students following an institutional neutrality mandate from the UNC Board of Governors. Students of color have expressed feeling less welcome at the university following those changes.

Reed said he's also noticed a "chilling effect" on students' free speech. His political education group often touches on controversial topics and criticizes the university's decisions. He said students often come to him, saying they want to get involved but are afraid they are going to face consequences for doing so.

He thinks this new agreement is going to exacerbate that effect.

"I don't think that's just," Reed said. "I don't think that's anything anyone should have to consider when they're deciding whether to get politically involved."

The deal between UNC-Chapel Hill and the federal government will last for a little over two years. On a quarterly basis, administrators will send antisemitism and race discrimination complaints to the federal government. The university must also staff a "Merit & Civil Rights Administrator" to oversee and implement the agreement's terms.

The federal government has several ongoing investigations against other public and private universities in North Carolina. Officials have accused East Carolina and Duke University's medical schools of racially discriminating in their admission processes. It has also accused Duke's Law School of doing the same.

Both universities say they are reviewing the allegations and are committed to following the law.

WUNC partners with Open Campus and NC Local on higher education coverage.