The U.S. Education Department published 2025 data showing colleges reported more than $5 billion in foreign gifts and contracts, part of a transparency push that escalates scrutiny of international funding. Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, MIT and Stanford rank among the largest recipients; Qatar accounted for roughly 20% of reported foreign funding. Universities now face heightened compliance and disclosure scrutiny; research offices and general counsels must tighten gift‑vetting, reporting controls and conflict‑of‑interest policies to withstand public and federal oversight and to protect classified and sensitive research partnerships.