Harvard may get some of its funding back. But on one condition, says Education Secretary

McMahon said that the Trump administration was "making progress in some of the discussions" with Harvard, despite the ongoing legal battles.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on Tuesday that Harvard and other universities could get back some of the federal funding cut by the Trump administration if they changed their policies.

President Donald Trump has frozen more than $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard University. (Bloomberg)

“It would be my goal that if colleges and universities are abiding by the laws of the United States and doing what we expect of them, that they can expect taxpayer funded programs,” the secretary said at a Bloomberg News event.

McMahon said that the Trump administration was "making progress in some of the discussions" with Harvard, despite the ongoing legal battles.

The secretary emphasised that the federal funding has a role to play in academic research at the universities.

“I think if we look at our research as for the public good, which I think is intended, then taxpayers are willing to see their tax dollars to support that kind of really good research. And so I’m sure that would continue at the university level,” she said.

President Donald Trump has frozen more than $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard and has moved to cancel its federal contracts. The Trump administration justified the actions as part of its effort to eliminate antisemitism on campus.

Meanwhile, Harvard has also taken the fight to the court with two lawsuits against the Trump administration, challenging both the loss of federal funding and a decision by the Department of Homeland Security to revoke its license to enrol foreign students.

The administration reportedly also asked the university to share its records about misconduct by international students on campus. However, it said that the college has not offered enough information to satisfy their requests.

The Trump administration and Harvard have been at loggerheads, with the President repeatedly singling out the institution and taking aim at its perceived left-leaning and admission practices.

Trump has proposed that Harvard's federal funding be moved to trade schools and called for its tax-exempt status to be removed.

President Donald Trump recently said that the Massachusetts-based school was "starting to behave".

Meanwhile, Harvard has rejected the administration's demands that it implement "viewpoint diversity" on campus in its hiring and admission practices.

Columbia University has also lost about $400 million in federal funds and did not sign onto the "friend of the court" argument.

Other private colleges, including Cornell University, Princeton University and Northwestern University, also have seen funding revoked in the Trump era.