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Qatar and China Are Pouring Billions Into Elite American Universities
(Images via Getty; illustration by The Free Press)
Foreign countries such as China and Qatar have poured $29 billion into campuses over the past few years. ‘Hostile powers are buying influence on American campuses at an industrial scale.’
By Frannie Block and Maya Sulkin
04.28.25 — Education
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Foreign donors have given as much to U.S. universities in the last four years as they did in the previous 40, according to a new report by the Network Contagion Research Institute shared exclusively with The Free Press. The study shows an explosion in overseas funding for American schools between 2021 and 2024, with nearly $29 billion in foreign money donated during that period.

Qatar and China are among the largest sources of funding.

That $29 billion figure is more than double the total for the preceding four years, and accounts for half of the estimated $57.97 billion in foreign funding since 1986, when the federal government began tracking the data.

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Frannie Block
Frannie Block is an investigative reporter at The Free Press, where she covers the forces shaping American life—from foreign influence in U.S. politics and national security to institutional overreach and due process failures. She began her career covering breaking news at The Des Moines Register.
Maya Sulkin
Maya Sulkin is a reporter for The Free Press, covering breaking news, politics, education, Gen Z, and culture. Before that, she served as the company's Chief of Staff.
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