How much are NC universities spending on DC lobbying? See the money in 5 charts
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NC universities increase DC lobbying to counter federal education policy shifts.
- New legislation limits grad student borrowing and taxes private endowments.
- Federal cuts to research and visa rule changes prompt urgent academic response.
It’s an intense and tumultuous time for colleges and universities across the country.
Since January, the Trump administration has enacted sweeping changes for higher education — from slashing federal research funding, to changing the procedures for obtaining student visas, to intensely targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
And in Congress, the Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that became law last month brought more changes, including limiting the amount of federal student loans graduate students can borrow and raising the tax on some private universities’ endowments.
North Carolina universities aren’t always vocal about these changes. But congressional lobbying disclosures show they’re working behind the scenes in Washington — and spending lots of money to do so.
Reports for the first half of 2025 show significant increases from previous years in spending on advocacy efforts at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. And Davidson College hired a lobbyist this year for the first time on record, while UNC Charlotte is using a lobbying firm this year for the first time in a decade.
The following charts provide a closer look at the schools’ spending so far this year.
Major increases in lobbying spending at UNC, Duke
Duke spent $727,000 on its lobbying efforts in the first half of the year — a total that includes $597,000 spent by the university’s in-house lobbyists and $130,000 paid to DLA Piper, a firm whose lobbyists for the university include former Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
UNC has spent $545,000 on its advocacy efforts since January, which includes $315,000 spent by the university’s in-house lobbyists; $140,000 paid to DLA Piper to represent the university; and an additional $110,000 paid to Checkmate Government Relations, a lobbying firm whose founder has ties to the Trump family.
Davidson, UNC Charlotte newer to the lobbying scene
Davidson College, the small, private liberal arts college north of Charlotte, sought out the help of lobbying firm Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck. The Denver-based firm received $40,000 in the first part of the year for lobbying on behalf of Davidson, with a specific focus on a proposed increase in the tax that wealthy, private colleges pay on their endowments, disclosures show.
Meanwhile, UNC Charlotte has paid $45,000 to Washington firm ACG Advocacy so far this year.
Spending at UNC System stable
Schools in the public UNC System benefit from an in-house lobbyist who advocates to Congress on behalf of all 17 campuses.
That’s especially important for smaller campuses in the system that may not have their own in-house lobbyists, but still seek federal funding or other support. Lobbying reports for the system tend to show $115,000 in spending each quarter.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How much are NC universities spending on DC lobbying? See the money in 5 charts."
