S 1738119th CongressIn Committee

Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements Act

Introduced: May 13, 2025

Defense & National SecurityEducation

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Securing Academia from Foreign Entanglements Act would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to bar colleges and universities from receiving gifts from, or entering into contracts with, foreign countries that are deemed of concern. A “foreign country of concern” includes countries already designated as “covered nations” and any other country the Secretary of Education, after consulting with the Defense, State, and Intelligence communities, determines poses a risk to U.S. national security or foreign policy. The bill also creates a new section (117A) with definitions and enforcement for this prohibition, and it makes a targeted adjustment to how some foreign gifts are disclosed, while explicitly preserving tuition and other cost-of-attendance payments. In short, it aims to curb financial relationships between U.S. higher education institutions and certain foreign governments or their entities, with the goal of reducing potential influence on academic independence and national security concerns.

Key Points

1Prohibition: Institutions of higher education may not receive a gift from or enter into a contract with a foreign country of concern.
2Definition of “foreign country of concern”: Includes (A) “covered nations” as defined in 10 U.S.C. 4872(d) and (B) any country the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence, determines to be detrimental to U.S. national security or foreign policy.
3New statutory section: The bill adds Sec. 117A to the Higher Education Act to formalize the prohibition, define terms (contract, gift, institution, foreign country of concern), and set the rule (no gifts or contracts with such countries).
4Disclosure adjustment: Section 117(h)(2)(A) would be amended to include a carve-out stating that the term referenced in that provision does not include a foreign country of concern as defined in 117A, clarifying how disclosures interact with the new prohibition.
5Protective scope and exceptions: The prohibition does not affect payments for tuition, room and board, fees, or other components of the cost of attendance.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- U.S. higher education institutions (universities, colleges, and their research centers): must screen and avoid gifts or contracts from designated foreign countries of concern, potentially altering fundraising, research collaborations, and vendor arrangements.Secondary group/area affected- University fundraising offices, research administration, and compliance/legal staff: face new responsibilities to vet donors and partners against the foreign country of concern list and to ensure no prohibited gifts or contracts are accepted.- External partners and donors from international sources: could be blocked from offering gifts or entering into contracts with U.S. institutions if they fall into the defined “foreign country of concern.”Additional impacts- Academic collaboration and research: potential chilling effect on international partnerships with countries deemed of concern, and a re-evaluation of multinational research agreements, licensing deals, and procurement.- Administrative and compliance burden: added screening processes, documentation, and potential contract renegotiations; need for clear internal policies to avoid inadvertent violations.- National security and policy alignment: aligns university funding practices with broader federal concerns about foreign influence and security risks, potentially affecting public perception of academic independence and international engagement.

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