Ivy League Legal Spending Jumps 37% to $333 Million as Trump Pressures Universities
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 14
Ivy League Legal Spending Jumps 37% to $333 Million as Trump Pressures Universities
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 14
Summary
Tax returns filed in recent weeks show elite private universities sharply increased outside legal and lobbying spending, with Ivy League legal costs alone rising 37% to more than $333 million.
The surge covered July 2024 through June 2025 — including Trump’s first months back in office — as schools fought to protect research funding, respond to investigations and avoid White House retaliation.
All eight Ivy League schools reported higher legal fees, lobbying bills or both, underscoring how broadly the administration’s campaign has raised costs across top campuses.
Those IRS disclosures capture only payments to outside lawyers and lobbyists, not in-house staff, and do not specify each assignment, but they offer a window into universities’ costly defense of institutional independence.