MIT faces Department of Education investigation for alleged 'race-exclusionary' discrimination

Rick Sobey, Boston Herald on Mar 14, 2025

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BOSTON — Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the latest local school that’s being targeted by the Trump administration for alleged discrimination.

The Cambridge university is among 45 schools that are facing a Department of Education investigation for allegedly engaging in “race-exclusionary practices” in their graduate programs.

The Friday announcement from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights about the Title VI investigations comes after the federal agency launched probes into institutions where there has been alleged widespread antisemitic harassment.

In addition to MIT, other Northeast schools on the alleged race discrimination list are the University of Rhode Island, Yale University, and NYU.

“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “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.

“Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” McMahon 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.”

A spokesperson for MIT said they will review the Department of Education’s letter when they receive it.

The investigations into the 45 universities follows the agency’s “Dear Colleague Letter” that reiterated schools’ civil rights obligations to end the use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.

Schools were warned in the letter that they could lose federal funding if they don’t comply with federal civil rights law.

The investigations come amid allegations that these institutions have violated Title VI by partnering with “The PhD Project,” an organization that provides doctoral students with insights into obtaining a PhD and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants, according to the feds.

The Office of Civil Rights is also investigating six universities for allegedly awarding impermissible race-based scholarships and one university for allegedly administering a program that segregates students on the basis of race.

Those schools are: New England College of Optometry; Ithaca College; University of Alabama; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; University of South Florida; and University of Tulsa School of Medicine.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in education programs and activities receiving federal funding.

“The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions,” reads the Dear Colleague Letter. “The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent. All students are entitled to a school environment free from discrimination. The Department is committed to ensuring those principles are a reality.”

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