The Department of Education has recently unveiled data to increase transparency within the United States University systems. The ultimate goal, according to Newsweek, is to address the ongoing outflow of critical science and technology knowledge. Within the data, the department has highlighted a potential national security threat. They have found that millions of dollars in donations have come from sanctioned foreign entities into American universities. This disclosure reportedly shines a light on a decades-long trend. One where top-tier research institutions accepted funding from organizations now flagged by the United States as adversaries. These reported findings are also part of a broader push to tighten oversight on academic partnerships. According to Newsweek, a spreadsheet titled “Counterparties of Concern” details 697 donations, including 527 from Chinese entities. Among the most prominent donors identified is the Beijing Institute of Technology. They are recognized as one of China’s Seven Sons of National Defense military-affiliated universities. This institution alone donated more than $49 million to U.S. schools. Russia has been a prominent donor, too A CBS News review of university funding records echoes these concerns. The outlet noted that federal agencies are now working in tandem to crack down on these financial ties. The records indicate that about $27.6 million was received by dozens of major research institutions in the latter half of last year from entities that appear on various federal government watch lists. Similar to Newsweek, CBS also found Chinese military ties in the donations. They reported that a Chinese company specializing in state-of-the-art aeronautics for the People’s Liberation Army provided over $7 million to three top-tier American research institutions. Earlier this year, my office and @ECAatState entered into a partnership with @usedgov to crack down on lapsed disclosures of foreign funding at universities. Not only did we obtain records of previously unreported donations — many come from sanctioned or “watchlisted” entities… pic.twitter.com/ageHdDfTQf— Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers (@UnderSecPD) July 16, 2026 The total volume of these funds is substantial. Dozens of U.S. universities reportedly received $405 million from sanctioned entities in countries including China, Russia, Serbia, and Israel. China alone has accounted for $309 million of that total. CBS wrote that Universities like UC Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern University, and the University of Connecticut featured on the list. Per Newsweek, Russia accounted for $66 million of the donations. A bulk of that was reportedly given to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kimberly Allen, a spokesperson for MIT, stated that MIT sent notice to the Russian partner that it was terminating the collaboration following Russia’s military attack on Ukraine in 2022. Interestingly, the administration has been at loggerheads with many universities. They have raised concerns about left-wing bias and overreliance on DEI programs, which led to the Pentagon cutting ties with Harvard University. In contrast, Northwestern University made a $75 million deal to address concerns of hostile conditions for Jewish students. Major U.S. universities have received millions of dollars in funding from foreign entities that are on U.S. government watch lists.CBS News' @annaschecter explains what she and her team learned after reviewing a massive spreadsheet of university funding records submitted to the… pic.twitter.com/OcuqHoLU8e— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 18, 2026 “It’s been a huge policy fail in terms of implementing restrictions without follow-through over the years. I relate it to having kids and not parenting well. Or giving your teenager a cellphone and having no restrictions on cellphone use,” said LJ Eads, about the prevalence of the donations, in an interview with CBS News. He is the founder of Data Abyss and director of research intelligence at Parallax Advanced Research. The donations often involve complex agreements. According to the data, Bryant University in Rhode Island received $22 million from the Beijing Institute of Technology for a 50-year contract. A spokesperson for Bryant told Newsweek that the money was for an “accounting program,” insisting the arrangement never included research activities or intellectual property development. However, the outlet noted that the school has since moved to terminate the arrangement, following the institute’s inclusion on various defense and commerce sanctions lists. In the meantime, CBS noted that the contract stated it was for “a jointly operated academic program in China.” What universities are taking the most money from China?— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) July 18, 2026 In response to the findings, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers sent a letter to the governing boards of 187 R-1 research universities. Per CBS, she warned that federal funding could be pulled if institutions continue to accept money from entities on U.S. watch lists. “In light of the above, I urge you, as board members, to ensure heightened diligence on this matter which has important national security implications for our country,” Rogers wrote. Meanwhile, legislative efforts are gaining momentum to further restrict these financial pipelines. Newsweek pointed to a bill currently moving through Congress, known as the Deterrent Act. They wrote that it seeks to lower the mandatory reporting threshold for foreign donations. It will reduce it from $250,000 down to $50,000, or potentially even zero for adversary nations like China. Historian and research security expert Glenn Tiffert of the Hoover Institution explained to Newsweek, “The key thing is to make sure that any claims about ties to a counterparty of concern take into account when that counterparty was designated on any relevant list. Contracts or gifts that ran their course before the date of designation are prima facie ok even if the counterparty in question was subsequently designated.”