On Oct. 24, the University of California released a $1.2 billion settlement proposal by the U.S. Department of Justice to the public. If agreed upon, the proposal would require UCLA to overhaul its admissions, hiring, and medical practices. The DOJ initiated the case against UCLA to resolve claims of antisemitism and civil rights violations on campus. This comes after the Trump administration ordered the University to either accept the fine or expect further cuts to federal funding.
The UCLA Faculty Association filed a petition to publicly release the proposal agreement, but the UC attempted to appeal the document’s release. However, the California Supreme Court denied the appeal petition.
The 27-page “Resolution Agreement” outlines reforms tied to an ongoing civil rights investigation into UCLA. The agreement also details specific examples of the antisemitism and civil rights violations allegations. As of publishing, it is still unclear whether the UC will accept, reject, or negotiate the proposed federal agreement.
The proposed settlement would require UCLA to pay out a total of around $1.2 billion. UCLA would pay the government $1 billion over three years in equal installments. It would also pay a one-time $172 million to a separate claims fund for individuals who experienced Title VII Civil Rights Act violations. These sums do not include the other costs that would be incurred from changing UCLA policies and appointing oversight positions to manage the guidelines of the settlement.
The UC Office of the President condemned the proposed settlement in a statement on Oct. 24.
“The proposed $1.2 billion settlement payment alone would derail work that saves lives, grows our economy, and fortifies our national security,” the statement read. “UC remains committed to protecting the mission, governance, and academic freedom of the University.”
In response to the proposal, faculty unions across the UC system — including Teamsters Local 2010, United Auto Workers Local 4811, and 18 others — have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit argues that the settlement proposal will lead to layoffs of UC workers and thus threaten the livelihoods of faculty and staff members.
Under the proposed resolution, UCLA would be required to hire an external party, selected in agreement between the UC and DOJ, who would conduct campus climate surveys on antisemitism. The survey would be reviewed by a newly appointed “resolution monitor” designated by the UC and DOJ, who would advise how to improve campus climate and incidents of social media harassment.
The resolution would end gender and race-based scholarship programs and eliminate affirmative action in hiring and admissions. The agreement would also require UCLA to base admissions solely on “merit,” without consideration of race or personal statements that include identity.
The resolution also calls for UCLA hospitals to end gender-affirming care for patients under the age of 18. It further requires the University to ensure that participation in women’s athletics is limited to cisgender female students, in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
The proposal orders UCLA to implement stricter reform of its Public Expression Activities Policy, which refers to enforcing regulations around student protest and demonstrations. The resolution highlights incidents during a campus-wide protest in April 2024 when activists “blocked Jewish students and faculty” and “segregated Jewish individuals based on their religious beliefs.” The document claims this was “based on their religious beliefs or refusal to disavow Israel.” Following the protests, UCLA paid out a $6 million settlement to three Jewish students and a Jewish professor.
If UCLA complies with the requirements outlined in the resolution, the Trump administration would agree to return certain federal research funding that was terminated in July and close pending investigations. It is unclear which investigations would be closed and which federal grants would be reapproved.
If accepted, the agreement would remain in effect for three years, with UCLA required to report on compliance twice a year.
The resolution details that “Nothing in this Agreement prevents the United States (including during the period of the Agreement) from conducting subsequent compliance reviews, investigations, defunding, or litigation related to UCLA’s actions.”
