Trump administration opens investigation into Harvard’s financial aid for international students
The Justice Department is investigating whether Harvard University allowed Chinese donors to create scholarships that excluded American students. federal investigations Trump administration opened its war against an Ivy League school.
Justice Department officials announced the new review Monday, saying Harvard’s foreign funding disclosures “raise concerns” about possible discrimination against U.S. students. The agency did not specify which scholarship programs were targeted and emphasized that “no results have been achieved.”
The Justice Department said the investigation was aimed at Harvard’s “financial aid programs based in China.” The agency said Chinese donors gave money to Harvard to support financial aid programs limited to students from certain countries. This restriction could amount to unlawful discrimination based on country of origin, the ministry said.
“Schools cannot take federal dollars and then turn around and accept money from foreign sources to provide financial aid that deliberately excludes American citizens; it is illegal to do so and we will stop it where we find it,” said Harmeet Dhillon, chief of the department’s Civil Rights Division.
Harvard said it was reviewing the Justice Department notice.
“Harvard follows the law regarding required reporting of endowments and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin in the allocation of financial aid, consistent with our legal obligations under Title VI,” the university said in a written statement.
Liu Chang, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement that China-US education cooperation is mutually beneficial. “China maintains that normal education and academic exchange should not be interrupted for political purposes,” Liu said. he said.
Like many US universities, Harvard accepts foreign funding through direct donations or contracts. Trump administration pushes for more transparency out of moneyHe warned that accepting funds from foreign enemies was a national security risk.
Harvard’s federal disclosures show it accepted $630 million from Chinese sources over decades. Overall, approximately $4.5 billion in foreign financing was reported. The Justice Department cited those figures but did not identify any donors or programs examined.
The investigation is a compliance review; that is, it is initiated by the federal government rather than responding to an outside complaint.
Unlike the vast majority of U.S. universities, Harvard and a small number of other schools provide need-based scholarships to international students on the same basis as U.S. students. Grants and other aid from the federal government are reserved for American students, but Harvard “has its own business and scholarship money available to foreign students,” according to Harvard’s financial aid website.
In some cases, foreign donors give money to be used for international students.
In 2014, Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, the Chinese couple who founded the real estate company SOHO China, donated $15 million to Harvard to provide financial aid to Chinese students. Their gifts drew criticism from critics in China, who said giving money to foreign schools instead of Chinese universities was a betrayal.
The Justice Department’s announcement lays out an unusual legal claim that directing private funding to students from certain countries amounts to a civil rights violation for U.S. students.
“Harvard accepts these funds and, consistent with its limitations, appears to provide student financial aid to foreign students, possibly Chinese, based on their national origin, to the potential detriment of students of other national origins, including American citizens,” the agency said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly launched new federal investigations against Harvard. Fight to gain obedience From the oldest university in the country.
Harvard has been a major target of the administration’s efforts to end “wokeness” in American higher education and combat alleged antisemitism. A federal judge blocked the White House from cutting billions of dollars in federal research funding from Harvard amid the row.
Even as the legal battle continues, the government is seeking new avenues of attack, seeking to limit Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students and U.S. military members and launching investigations into the school’s admissions process.
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