Colleges Cut Ties With Groups Helping Minority Students

Trump administration pressures schools to end partnerships with organizations that 'restrict participation based on race'

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The Trump administration's objection to a program that helps people of color pursue doctorate degrees has prompted colleges to cut ties with a range of organizations associated with racial minority groups, a Post investigation has found. Since last year, more than 100 schools have ended partnerships with the PhD Project, a group founded in 1994 to diversify the pipeline of students who aspire to become business school professors. As part of settlement agreements with the administration, universities promised to identify partnerships with any organization that may 'restrict participation based on race' and either sever those relationships or explain why they won't.

Why it matters

Groups like the PhD Project and others help provide a pathway into universities and 'create a sense of belonging' for groups that have historically been left out. Critics argue the administration's actions are targeting efforts to help minorities while ignoring complaints of racism involving Black and Hispanic victims.

The details

More than a dozen schools have quietly reached agreements with the Trump administration to resolve investigations into their partnerships with the PhD Project. As part of the pacts, the universities promised to identify and either sever or justify relationships with any organization that may 'restrict participation based on race.' For example, the California State University system said one campus plans to cut ties with the Links Inc., a national volunteer service group historically composed of Black women, while Clemson University ended its partnership with Field Inclusive, a group that supports biologists and researchers from marginalized groups, because it offers discounted memberships to people of color.

  • The Trump administration announced probes into 45 universities that partnered with the PhD Project in March 2025.
  • Since last year, more than 100 schools have ended partnerships with the PhD Project.

The players

PhD Project

A group founded in 1994 to diversify the pipeline of students who aspire to become business school professors. It has helped 1,800 Black, Latino or Native American scholars earn doctorates in business over more than three decades.

Links Inc.

A national volunteer service group historically composed of Black women that says its membership is open to people of any race and it contributes more than 1 million service hours a year to underserved communities around the world.

Field Inclusive

A nonprofit that says it tries to promote more inclusivity in the natural sciences and outdoors, and offers discounted memberships to racial and ethnic minorities.

Linda McMahon

The U.S. Secretary of Education who said the Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination.

Catherine Lhamon

A former assistant secretary of education for civil rights during the Biden administration who now works at UC Berkeley Law School. She said the Trump administration is 'picking and choosing who it will protect.'

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What they’re saying

“It's terrible. Groups like the PhD Project and others help provide a pathway into universities and 'create a sense of belonging' for groups that have historically been left out.”

— Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president with Education Trust (The Washington Post)

“Programs that target specific racial demographics are intended to exclude others.”

— Nicole Neily, president of Defending Education (The Washington Post)

“A claim such as this is a serious mischaracterization of who we are as volunteer-leaders and what we stand for. It is deeply disappointing, not only to our members, but also to the communities we are privileged to serve.”

— Ethel Isaacs Williams, national president of the Links (The Washington Post)

“I was really struggling. It gave me a community.”

— Jason Thatcher, professor of information systems at the University of Colorado's main campus in Boulder (The Washington Post)

What’s next

The PhD Project plans to go ahead with its annual conference in Chicago next month, where it plans to encourage students considering a doctorate in business. The organization believes it can continue to help students find doctoral programs and jobs at business schools through its extensive alumni network, even with fewer college partnerships.

The takeaway

This case highlights the Trump administration's efforts to target programs and organizations that aim to support and empower minority students, raising concerns about the government's commitment to protecting civil rights and promoting diversity in higher education.