The University of Oregon is one of about 50 universities under investigation by the Trump administration for alleged racial discrimination, the U.S. Department of Education said Friday.
Colleges and universities nationwide have been under increasing scrutiny during President Donald Trump’s second term amid his clampdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs that he claims put white and Asian American students at a disadvantage.
Last month, the Education Department told higher education leaders, via a “Dear Colleague” letter, that they risked losing federal funding if evidence was found of “race-based preferences” in admissions or in any campus program.
The memo seeks to expand a 2023 Supreme Court decision that bars colleges from using race as a factor in admissions and is facing a legal challenge led by the country’s two biggest teachers unions, who say that it is too vague and violates the free speech rights of educators.
The Eugene school district, which is in the University of Oregon’s backyard, has joined that lawsuit, and was the first public school district in the nation to do so.
The latest investigation targets universities that, like the University of Oregon, have partnered with a nonprofit called the PhD Project, which helps students from underrepresented groups get doctoral degrees with the goal of diversifying the business world.
The Eugene-based university is the only Oregon institution listed as a partner on the organization’s website.
Federal education officials said that the PhD Project limits eligibility based on race and that colleges that partner with it are “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
“Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” said Linda McMahon, the U.S. secretary of education.
Angela Seydel, a spokesperson for the University of Oregon, said via email that the school is taking the complaint “seriously. We have recently reviewed all of our practices and believe that the University of Oregon is in compliance with the law. We have continued to review policies and practices in light of the Administration’s Executive Orders and look forward to working with the Office for Civil Rights to resolve this complaint.”
Like many universities, the University of Oregon depends upon federal funding to support the bulk of its researchers. The school says it was awarded $177 million in grants, contracts and other competitive awards in fiscal year 2024. Ninety-one percent of that was from the federal government.
Portland State University is also under investigation by the Trump administration, for its alleged failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination.
— Julia Silverman covers education for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her via email at jsilverman@oregonian.com.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.