ED Gives Harvard 20 Days to Provide Admissions Info

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said Friday that it issued a letter giving Harvard University 20 days to submit documents related to admissions that it says the university has been refusing to provide.

Those documents are related to an investigation OCR opened in May regarding whether Harvard is “using racial stereotypes and preferences in undergraduate admissions,” according to the announcement.

“Despite OCR’s repeated requests for data, Harvard has refused to provide the requested information necessary for OCR to make a compliance determination,” the office continued, adding that the university will “face further enforcement action” if the information is not provided.

The notice came the same day that the department announced it had placed the Ivy League institution on heightened cash monitoring status, which gives the government greater oversight of institutional finances. The designation is usually reserved for institutions in financial turmoil.

Both actions come amid a months-long dispute between the university and the federal government, which alleges that the university has continued to use race in admissions and failed to prevent antisemitism on campus. In April, the Trump administration halted $2.7 billion in federal grants for Harvard after university rejected a list of demands, but a judge recently ruled that the freeze was unlawful.