Justice Department Sues Harvard Over Admissions Data

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, claiming the Ivy League school has refused to provide admissions records that the Justice Department demanded to ensure Harvard stopped using affirmative action in its admissions process. The lawsuit accuses Harvard of 'thwarting' efforts to investigate potential discrimination.

Why it matters

This lawsuit is the latest development in the ongoing standoff between the Trump administration and Harvard over allegations of anti-Jewish bias on campus and the use of affirmative action in admissions. The administration has taken aggressive action against Harvard, including funding cuts and other sanctions, for refusing to adopt the administration's ideological views on these issues.

The details

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts, asking a judge to order Harvard to turn over five years of admissions data for undergraduate, medical, and law school applicants, including information on their grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, and admissions outcomes, along with their race and ethnicity. The department says it needs this data to determine if Harvard has continued to consider applicants' race in admissions decisions, which the Supreme Court barred in 2023.

• The Justice Department opened a compliance review into Harvard's admissions practices in April 2025.
• The department told Harvard to provide the requested data by April 25, 2025.

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide whether to order Harvard to turn over the requested admissions data.