The United States Department of Education has opened an investigation into five universities. The department’s Office for Civil Rights alleges that the schools provided scholarships that were only available to students in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Education Department’s allegations
The department said the actions of the schools violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin in a program or activity receiving federal funding.
“On January 20, 2025, President Trump promised that ‘every single day of the Trump Administration, [he] will, very simply, put America first.’ Neither the Trump Administration’s America first policies nor the Civil Right[s] Act of 1964’s prohibition on national origin discrimination permit universities to deny our fellow citizens the opportunity to compete for scholarships because they were born in the United States,” acting assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement.
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The five schools under investigation are the University of Louisville, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Miami, University of Michigan and Western Michigan University.
The investigation started with a complaint from the conservative nonprofit Legal Insurrection Foundation’s Equal Protection Project. The complaint stated that each one of the above schools had a scholarship available exclusively to DACA recipients.
“Protecting equal access to education includes protecting the rights of American-born students. At the Equal Protection Project, we are gratified that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is acting on our complaints regarding scholarships that excluded American-born students,” William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project, said. “Discrimination against American-born students must not be tolerated.”
Along with scholarships for DACA students, the investigation will also address alleged impermissible scholarships for LGBTQ and other minority students.
Data from finaid.org shows that white students receive nearly 72% of university scholarships.
University response
The schools named in the investigation have mostly remained quiet about the ongoing investigation.
“We received notification from the U.S. Department of Education in recent days that the department is reviewing a WMU scholarship,” Paula Davis, associate vice president for strategic communications at Western Michigan University, told Straight Arrow News. “The University takes compliance seriously. We are reviewing the scholarship program, and we will cooperate with authorities.”
The University of Michigan had a similar response.
“The university has received a letter of notification relating to this matter. We have no further comment,” Kay Jarvis, director of public affairs, told Straight Arrow News.
The University of Nebraska Omaha told the Omaha World-Herald that it continues to evaluate scholarships to ensure compliance with federal and state laws.
“Although we have no comment on the specifics of the investigation, we will fully cooperate with the Department of Education,” Sam Peshek, spokesman for the University of Nebraska Omaha, told the World-Herald.
A University of Louisville spokesman also kept his response brief.
“The university was just notified of the investigation yesterday. We are reviewing the claims,” University of Louisville spokesperson John Karman said to the Courier Journal.
The University of Miami has not publicly commented.
This investigation comes even as President Donald Trump continues his plans to dismantle the Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights.
That office has reportedly been hit hard by layoffs and voluntary buyouts. The department also recently dismissed more than 3,000 civil rights complaints into alleged discrimination at schools around the U.S.
