Education Department Launches Twin Investigations Into Harvard Admissions and Antisemitism

Updated March 24, 2026, at 8:55 a.m.

The Department of Education announced Monday that it has launched two new investigations into Harvard — one scrutinizing whether the University has complied with the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling striking down affirmative action, and a second probing antisemitism complaints on campus.

The announcement comes three days after the Department of Justice filed a new lawsuit against Harvard, alleging that the University failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

In a press release, the Education Department said it would evaluate the complaints and take action “to hold Harvard accountable for any illegal policies or actions” if discrimination is found.

“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,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote in the release.

Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton cast doubt on both investigations in a statement, writing that Harvard had proven it was “firmly committed to confronting antisemitism” and continued to “provide information consistent with our legal obligations and institutional responsibilities.”

"We are reviewing the U.S. Department of Education's latest actions, which represent the government's latest retaliatory actions against Harvard for its refusal to surrender our independence and constitutional rights," Newton wrote.

The Monday move is the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s intensifying pressure campaign against Harvard. Over the past two months, federal officials have sued Harvard over campus antisemitism, moved to compel the release of admissions records in a separate case, and cut academic ties with the school, saying the University was no longer a “welcoming institution” for military-affiliated students.

The admissions investigation centers on Harvard’s alleged refusal to turn over enrollment data that the department requested in May 2025 to verify its compliance with Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the landmark decision outlawing racial preferences in higher education.

Monday’s announcement gives Harvard 20 days to comply or face “enforcement actions,” including a referral to the Justice Department.

In the wake of the SFFA ruling, Harvard has continued to emphasize the importance of diversity while reviewing aspects of its admissions policies. The University updated its guidance for alumni interviewers, instructing them to avoid mention of applicants’ race, languages, religious practices, and involvement in race-based organizations. Some alumni interviewers have expressed confusion and consternation at the new policies.

The full implications of the Supreme Court ruling remain unclear. The University pushed its release of admissions data for the Class of 2029 back until next fall, and available demographic data for the Class of 2028 is difficult to compare with pre-2023 numbers.

But Harvard’s admissions practices have still remained subject to intense scrutiny from the Trump administration. In February, the Department of Justice filed a new lawsuit against the University, seeking a court order that would require Harvard to turn over admissions records requested as part of an earlier federal civil rights review.

According to the February lawsuit, Harvard has produced more than 2,000 pages of documents in response to requests by the Department of Education, though the government argues that the records remain incomplete. Legal experts told The Crimson that satisfying the government’s records request may put Harvard in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act if individual-level data could be used to identify students. (The University has held that individual admissions records remain private even when pairing students with alumni interviewers.)

The Education Department has also pursued other lines of inquiry into Harvard in recent months. Last April, it opened an investigation into Harvard’s foreign funding disclosed for alleged inaccuracies. In September, the department put Harvard under financial monitoring and required a $36 million irrevocable letter of credit.

The second investigation announced Monday — into antisemitism — follows the Justice Department’s Friday suit, which drew extensively on findings from Harvard’s internal task force probing campus antisemitism.

That complaint alleged that Harvard looked away while Jewish and Israeli students were subjected to “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” harassment and denied access to educational opportunities.

—Staff writer Hugo C. Chiasson can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at hcc.35. Follow him on X @HugoChiassonn.

—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at elisespenner.82. Follow her on X @EliseSpenner.