Penn has received the fifth highest amount of foreign funding among American higher education institutions, according to data released last week by the United States Department of Education.
The data — released through the Education Department’s foreign funding portal launched in January — includes 555 institutions that have received a total of $67.6 billion through foreign gifts and contracts since 1986. Penn, which was previously probed over its funding funding records, received $2.8 billion, ranking in the top 1% of universities by funding.
The institutions were mandated to report the data under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The statute requires higher education institutions to disclose foreign source gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more to the Education Department, making the data available for public inspection.
According to a Feb. 11 press release from the Education Department, the majority of total foreign funding has been disclosed since 2019. The newly-released data includes gifts received between 1986 — when Section 117 was enacted — and Dec. 16, 2025.
“Penn will continue to comply with Section 117 of the Higher Education Act and will use the new reporting portal,” a University spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Other institutions that ranked in the top five included Harvard University with $4.2 billion, Carnegie Mellon University with $3.9 billion, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with $3.5 billion, and Cornell University with $3.1 billion.
This pattern closely reflects the changes led by the White House surrounding foreign funding of universities. In April 2025, 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities Executive Order,” which aims to “end the secrecy surrounding foreign funds in American educational institutions and safeguard America’s students and research from foreign exploitation.”
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“Thanks to the Trump Administration’s new accountability portal, the American people have unprecedented visibility into the foreign dollars flowing into our colleges and universities — including funding from countries and entities that are involved in activities that threaten America’s national security,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote on Jan. 11.
The majority of the $2.8 billion that Penn received came from Germany, which was the source of $1.9 billion. Penn also received $210.2 million from China, a figure the Department of Education flagged as “funding from country of concern.”
On May 8, 2025, the Education Department initiated an investigation into Penn’s foreign funding records after a review of the University’s financial reports revealed “inaccurate” and “incomplete” disclosures.
In a letter addressed to Penn President Larry Jameson at the time, the Education Department’s Office of the General Counsel wrote that the University did not “promptly report” 61 of its 115 foreign funding disclosure reports submitted this January.
A spokesperson for the agency told the DP in January that there have been “no updates” to the status of its ongoing investigation into the University.
The portal was first announced in December 2025.
Penn to 'comply' with Department of Education foreign funding policies amid ongoing investigation
Education Department launches new foreign funding disclosure portal for universities
Staff reporter Rachel Kang contributes to data and enterprise reporting and can be reached at kang@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies neuroscience. Follow her on X @rchllkng.
