Chicago – March 14, 2025
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating 52 universities in 41 states, accusing them of using racial preferences in their programs. Officials say these schools may have broken the 1964 Civil Rights Act by working with The PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps underrepresented students earn business PhDs.
The PhD Project supports Black, Latino, and Native American students in graduate business programs. However, the Education Department says this may be “race-exclusionary” because it limits who can join based on race. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated, “Students must be judged by their hard work and skills, not their skin color.”
In response, The PhD Project told NPR that their goal is to increase diversity in business leadership. They also said they now allow anyone to apply if they support their mission.
The investigation includes state schools, private universities, and two Ivy League schools—Cornell and Yale. Other well-known schools being examined include Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Rice, MIT, and NYU. The Department of Education is now reviewing these cases to determine if the schools violated federal laws.
