ED Opens 2 New Investigations Into Harvard

The Trump administration launched two new investigations into Harvard University “amid allegations that it continues to discriminate against students on the basis of race, color, and national origin,” the Department of Education announced in a news release Monday. 

The department’s Office for Civil Rights said it received new complaints about antisemitic harassment on Harvard’s campus—an issue the administration has already spent a year investigating and which the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit about last week. OCR will also investigate claims that Harvard is continuing to use race-based preferences in admissions. 

“Harvard University should know better. 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,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the news release. “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.” 

Also on Monday, OCR issued a Letter of Impending Enforcement Action to the university, asking university officials to turn over data and information related to its admissions processes. According to the department, Harvard has not provided sufficient data for an OCR review it opened in May 2025. The institution must provide the information within 20 days or “face enforcement actions, including referral to the U.S. Department of Justice,” according to the release.