The U.S. Department of Education has announced the launch of a new online portal for universities to report foreign funding, with the system set to go live on January 2, 2026. This move is in line with Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires postsecondary institutions receiving federal financial assistance to disclose foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more each year.
The current reporting portal has not been substantially updated since the first Trump Administration. According to the Department, the Biden Administration did not prioritize enforcement of Section 117 or monitoring foreign influence at American colleges and universities. The Trump Administration has invested in this new system as part of its focus on improving compliance and transparency regarding foreign funding in higher education.
Key features of the improved portal include bulk uploading capabilities for disclosures, executive summary visualizations aimed at increasing public transparency, and additional tools for drafting, reviewing, and submitting reports. The portal has undergone both internal and external testing by universities and was designed using feedback from university filers over several years.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated: “The Trump Administration is launching a new state-of-the-art system for colleges and universities to more efficiently and securely report their foreign gifts and contracts as required under the law. After years of neglect by the Biden Administration, the new portal will assist our institutions of higher education in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and enable us to protect our national security by facilitating improved compliance.” She added: “America’s taxpayer funded colleges and universities have both a moral and legal obligation to be fully transparent with the U.S. government and the American people about their foreign financial relationships. We are grateful to the many stakeholders for their feedback in designing this portal and look forward to vigorously protecting our educational institutions from potentially harmful foreign influence.”
Section 117 also requires that these disclosures be made available for public inspection by the Department, aiming to safeguard national security and academic integrity through greater transparency about potential foreign influence in higher education. Institutions that do not comply may face enforcement actions from the Department of Justice.
In April 2025, Executive Order 14282 was issued to increase transparency regarding foreign funds at American educational institutions as part of an effort to prevent foreign exploitation of students and research.
Nine universities participated in beta-testing over three days, providing feedback that informed updates to the portal’s features. These included University of Texas at Austin, MD Anderson, University of Texas Medical Branch, University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, Purdue University, Indiana University, Washington University, and University of Arizona.
Since January 20, 2025, four Section 117 investigations have been initiated into Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, and University of California Berkeley following concerns about inaccurate or delayed disclosure reports.
The new reporting portal will be accessible at www.ForeignFundingHigherEd.gov starting January 2 next year.
