EXCLUSIVE — The Department of Education has opened investigations into 45 colleges, including some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, over their alleged refusal to end racial preferences in PhD programming.
According to federal education officials, the schools may be violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with “The PhD Project,” an organization that gives doctoral students insight and networking opportunities toward obtaining a Ph.D. but limits eligibility based on race.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination. The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
“Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” she added. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”
The Washington Examiner has contacted the 45 colleges, detailed below, for comment on the investigations.
Six other schools stand accused of awarding race-based scholarships, and one allegedly administers a program that segregates students based on race.
The investigations come as universities and government offices nationwide have taken steps to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in light of new direction from the Trump administration. Last month, the University of Iowa ended its partnership with The PhD Project after efforts at the state level to prohibit DEI offices.
The Education Department took several steps over the last several weeks before launching the investigations. On Feb. 14, the department sent out a Dear Colleague letter directing the schools to halt the use of racial preferences and “stereotypes” in any education programs.
On March 1, it followed up by releasing a frequently asked questions document providing additional information. The Education Department says the schools in question are still discriminating on the basis of race in violation of civil rights laws.
The news also comes just one day after McMahon warned 60 colleges and universities to “do better” to stop antisemitism on campus, saying there will be consequences if they do not protect Jewish students.
The 45 schools being investigated for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs are:
Arizona State University – Main Campus
Boise State University
Cal Poly Humboldt
California State University – San Bernadino
Carnegie Mellon University
Clemson University
Cornell University
Duke University
Emory University
George Mason University
Georgetown University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Montana State University-Bozeman
New York University
Rice University
Rutgers University
The Ohio State University – Main Campus
Towson University
Tulane University
University of Arkansas – Fayetteville
University of California-Berkeley
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati – Main Campus
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Delaware
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of New Mexico – Main Campus
University of North Dakota – Main Campus
University of North Texas – Denton
University of Notre Dame
University of NV – Las Vegas
University of Oregon
University of Rhode Island
University of Utah
University of Washington-Seattle
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wyoming
Vanderbilt University
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
Yale University
Schools under investigation for potentially using race-based scholarships and race-based segregation are:
Grand Valley State University
Ithaca College
New England College of Optometry
University of Alabama
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of South Florida
University of Tulsa School of Medicine
“Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible,” Craig Trainor, education department assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in the Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter. “Accordingly, I write to clarify and reaffirm the nondiscrimination obligations of schools and other entities that receive federal financial assistance from the United States Department of Education.”
The Department of Education doles out billions of dollars in grants and other funding each year, meaning the threat to revoke funding is one schools will take seriously.
The DEI movement exploded across the national scene in 2020, including at universities across the country. But conservatives alleged that it amounted to illegal discrimination, and DEI has been pared back by President Donald Trump since he took office on Jan. 20.
Trainor wrote that white and Asian students in particular have faced discrimination on the basis of race, even when they come from low-income families, in a movement that has reached “every facet of academia,” including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and training.
“In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities,” he wrote.
Democrats counting on Trump mistakes to fuel their revival
The Supreme Court struck down race-based admissions in the 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard case. Trump signed an executive order aimed at dismantling all DEI initiatives within the federal government on Inauguration Day.
The Education Department’s investigations come as the agency has laid off over 1,300 employees this week as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.
Of the 4,133 Education Department staff members Trump inherited, 259 accepted the deferred “fork in the road” resignations, 313 accepted separation payments of $25,000, 63 probationary employees were let go last month, and another 1,315 will now be laid off.