The Trump administration has opened investigations into the admissions policies at Stanford University and three campuses within the University of California system, including UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate whether the schools’ policies comply with the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action in college admissions, the department said in a statement.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has attempted to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his administration says exclude white and Asian American students. The administration has warned schools and colleges they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, hiring, scholarships and all aspects of campus life.
The latest action comes after the U.S. Department of Education said it was investigating 52 universities for alleged racial discrimination earlier this month. Most of those schools were told those investigations were due to a partnership with a nonprofit organization that aimed to help students of color get doctoral degrees.
“President Trump and I are dedicated to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity across the country,” Bondi said in the statement. “Every student in America deserves to be judged solely based on their hard work, intellect, and character, not the color of their skin.”
Stanford said in a statement Thursday that after the Supreme Court ruling, it took immediate steps to ensure its admissions process complied with the law.
“We continue to be committed to fulfilling our obligations under the law,” the statement said, adding that the school had not been told specifically why it was being investigated. “We do not have details about today’s announcement, but we look forward to learning more about their concerns and responding to the department’s questions.”
The University of California did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Separately, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was investigating “a major medical school in California” for alleged racial discrimination in admissions. The statement did not name the school. It said the action was in response to information the Office for Civil Rights had received. It did not give specifics.
The Trump administration also launched an investigation Thursday into the California Department of Education. At issue is a law that says districts can’t force teachers and staff to notify parents if a student changes their gender identity at school.
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