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The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened two investigations into Harvard University over allegations involving its admissions practices and the treatment of Jewish students on campus.
Federal officials said the inquiries will examine whether Harvard continues to use race-based preferences in admissions despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found such policies unlawful.
A second investigation will focus on allegations that the university failed to adequately address antisemitic harassment directed at Jewish students.
The department also issued a letter warning of possible enforcement action, stating that Harvard has not provided admissions data requested by investigators. Under the notice, Harvard has 20 days to respond or risk enforcement steps that could include referral of the matter to the Department of Justice.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the investigations are intended to ensure the university complies with federal civil rights laws.
“Harvard University should know better,” McMahon said. “Its name will always be tied to the landmark Supreme Court case that found sweeping racial discrimination in admissions and the campus has been in the spotlight for tolerating egregious antisemitic harassment for years now.”
The Education Department’s civil rights office “will investigate these complaints thoroughly,” she said, adding, “No one — not even Harvard — is above the law.”
“If Harvard continues to stonewall as we try to verify its basic compliance with antidiscrimination statutes, we will vigorously hold them to account to ensure students’ rights are protected,” McMahon added.
Officials said Harvard’s failure to provide the requested information may violate federal regulations requiring institutions that receive federal funding to cooperate with civil rights investigations.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard concluded that race-based admissions policies violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Separately, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court in Massachusetts, accusing Harvard of failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus.
In the complaint, the department argued that the alleged failures could justify freezing federal grants and seeking repayment of funds already distributed to the university.
“The United States cannot and will not tolerate these failures and brings this action to compel Harvard to comply” with federal civil rights law, the department wrote, adding it is seeking to recover “billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies awarded to a discriminatory institution.”