EducationSeptember 19, 2025

What Heightened Cash Monitoring Means for Harvard

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Key Vocabulary

monitoring /ˈmɒnɪtərɪŋ/

watching to make sure rules are followed

"The school is under monitoring for its finances."

endowment /ɪnˈdaʊmənt/

a large fund of donated money for a university

"The university uses its endowment to pay for research."

grant /ɡrænt/

money given for research or study

"The lab lost a grant and had to slow work."

Listening

What Heightened Cash Monitoring Means for Harvard

The U.S. Department of Education has put Harvard University on heightened cash monitoring. This means Harvard must pay federal student aid first with its own money and then ask the government to pay it back. The department also wants a $36 million letter of credit to protect taxpayer money.

A federal judge later blocked the administration’s attempt to freeze more than $2 billion in Harvard research grants. Harvard has an endowment of about $53 billion, but the university says federal actions have led to layoffs and budget cuts. Students will still receive federal aid for now, but the school faces financial uncertainty.

102 words

Quiz

1. Who put Harvard on heightened cash monitoring?

2. How much is the letter of credit the department wants?

3. What did a federal judge block?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you worry when you hear about money problems at a university? Why or why not?

Have you ever needed to wait for money for a school project? What happened?

What do you think students feel when their school makes budget cuts?