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Qatar and China Are Pouring Billions Into Elite American Universities
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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The Free Press
The Free Press
Qatar and China Are Pouring Billions Into Elite American Universities

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, where she covers breaking news, higher education, Gen-Z, and culture. Maya began at The Free Press as an intern during her time as an undergraduate at Columbia University, where she studied History. She went on to serve as the company's Chief of Staff. She is a 2025 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship.

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