The U.S. Department of Education has announced that a redesigned portal for reporting foreign gifts and contracts will open on January 2, 2026. Federal law requires colleges and universities that receive federal financial assistance to disclose foreign source funding worth $250,000 or more each year.
The existing portal has remained largely unchanged for several years. Department officials said the new version reflects technical investment and extensive user testing carried out with multiple institutions. The updated system is expected to allow bulk uploads, include summary dashboards for public transparency and provide new tools to help institutions prepare and review required filings.
Department leaders said the new system will support more reliable reporting by higher education institutions and strengthen federal oversight of foreign relationships. They said universities have a responsibility to maintain transparency about overseas financial ties and that the strengthened reporting structure will help federal agencies identify potential risks to national security.
Section 117 of the Higher Education Act requires twice yearly disclosure of major foreign gifts and contracts. The law also mandates that these disclosures be available for public inspection. Institutions that fail to comply can face enforcement action by the Department of Justice, including civil proceedings to compel disclosure and recover enforcement costs.
An executive order issued in April 2025 set transparency regarding foreign involvement in American higher education as a priority for the current administration. The order directed federal agencies to reduce secrecy around foreign funding and to safeguard academic research.
The Education Department said nine universities took part in a three day beta test of the new system and provided recommendations that will be reflected in the final design. Participating institutions included the University of Texas at Austin, MD Anderson, the University of Texas Medical Branch, the University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, Purdue University, Indiana University, Washington University and the University of Arizona. The portal will be available at the Foreign Funding Higher Ed website once it goes live in January.
Since early 2025 federal officials have opened four Section 117 investigations involving Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley following concerns about incomplete or delayed foreign funding disclosures.
