Cornell reported $180,000 in federal lobbying expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2025, according to its latest filing with the U.S. Senate, bringing its year-to-date total to $1,094,000.
The fourth-quarter filing caps off the University’s most expensive lobbying year yet, a 66% increase from the previous record high of $660,000 in 2024. Throughout 2025, Cornell reported spending of $230,000 in the first quarter, $444,000 in the second quarter and $240,000 in the third quarter.
Cornell’s newest report shows extensive lobbying for land-grant agriculture programs and competitive research grants at the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy. The University has also continued its support for NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology programs.
The University’s fourth-quarter report also highlights, for the first time, investment in technologies “including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and robotics,” reflecting growing federal interest in frontier research.
In addition to advocating for new funding, the filing indicates the University’s interest in protecting existing funding. Cornell lobbied lawmakers regarding “cancelled and/or frozen programs and grants” for the University as well as continued spending of already appropriated funds, according to the filing.
In a statement to The Sun, a University spokesperson wrote that administrators “expanded engagement with policymakers and federal agencies to restore research funding and prevent regulatory changes that would harm [Cornell’s] educational programs.”
The University also lobbied on policies affecting international students. The filing shows that Cornell raised concerns about proposed restrictions on student visas and employment pathways such as Optional Practical Training, which allows international graduates to temporarily work in the U.S. for up to a year after completing their degrees.
The filing mentions support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and “legal status and protections for undocumented students in the Dream and Promise Act” while pushing for high skill immigration reform.
The filings come amid increased visa scrutiny and enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration which has raised uncertainty for international students at Cornell and across the country.
According to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey, federal funding supported more than $64 billion in research spending in 2024 across all universities, making up about 55% of total academic research spending.
The filing data shows increased federal engagement across higher education as universities navigate an unusually volatile policy environment.
The University of Pennsylvania, Yale University and Columbia University all joined Cornell in crossing the seven-figure threshold. Penn led the Ivy League with a total of $1.32 million, including a mammoth $510,000 expenditure in quarter four.
“Cornell increased its federal lobbying expenditure in response to unprecedented pressure on higher education from the federal government,” the University spokesperson wrote in an email statement to The Sun.
This report also comes on the heels of the University’s November settlement with the Trump administration that restored over $250 million in federal funding. In exchange, the University gave $30 million to the federal government and pledged $30 million in research funding to strengthen domestic agriculture.
In an October interview with The Sun, President Michael Kotlikoff described the University’s lobbying efforts as a “consultative process” involving “the Board [of Trustees], the provost, me, our chief counsel [and] certainly our University Relations vice president.”
“I think the lobbying that we’ve undertaken has really provided us with the ability to send our message to individuals around what Cornell is, what Cornell supports [and] how it doesn't engage in discrimination,” Kotlikoff previously told The Sun.
Cornell’s fiscal year 2026 quarter one report is due April 20.
Anant Srinivasan is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at asrinivasan@cornellsun.com.
