Cambridge, Massachusetts - The US Department of Education on Monday said it was freezing $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University after the school refused to comply with a list of demands from President Donald Trump's administration.

Earlier, university president Alan Garber said the school had received "unprecedented demands" from the federal government.

In a letter sent on Friday to the university, the Trump administration called for a number of changes to maintain Harvard's financial relationship with the federal government.

Among them was a requirement for the university to report foreign students who violate codes of conduct to federal authorities, reform international student admissions and end student admissions and hiring based on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.

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"The administration's prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government," Garber said in a statement.

"We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights," he added.

"No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue."

Following Garber's statement, the US Department of Education said it was freezing $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to the university.

"Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws," a statement from the department's task force to combat antisemitism said.

"The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support."

Universities across the US have been threatened with funding cuts if they do not crack down even harder on the student movement in solidarity with Palestine.