By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-18 00:17:02 | Updated at 2026-08-18 01:34:14
1 hour ago
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department seal at the FBI headquarters in Washington on Aug. 4, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
The Justice Department said Monday it has opened a civil rights review of the College of William & Mary over scholarships and other student benefits that federal officials say may impermissibly use race as a factor in determining eligibility.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said it will examine whether the Virginia university is complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
“Awarding scholarships or offering coveted opportunities to students based on the color of their skin is illegal and offends the guarantees of our color-blind Constitution,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement.
Dhillon said the department will determine whether William & Mary scholarships or other benefits favor applicants of certain races.
Among the programs cited by the Justice Department is W&M Scholars, which provides first-year undergraduate students with scholarships covering at least the full cost of in-state tuition and fees. According to the DOJ, applicants with an “interest in diverse people and perspectives” receive top consideration.
The DOJ also pointed to two programs at William & Mary’s School of Education. The Martha L. Muguira Fellowship is a need-based program that gives preference to Hispanic or Latino women, while the Holmes Scholars program provides mentorship, professional development and other opportunities to “future education leaders of color.”
At William & Mary Law School, the DOJ is examining the Lemon Legal Scholars Program, which offers graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are admitted to the law school’s J.D. program financial assistance and mentorship. The program provides as many as five full scholarships covering tuition and fees, along with networking opportunities, academic advising, and access to special events that the DOJ said “appear exclusively earmarked for HBCU graduates.”
The department also cited the law school’s Reaching Back Scholarship, a need-based scholarship that gives preference to HBCU graduates or students “who contribute to the diversity” of the law school.
William & Mary said it is reviewing the Justice Department’s action.
“William & Mary is committed to nondiscriminatory learning environments across our campus and complying with all state and federal laws,” the university said in a statement posted on its website. “We are reviewing the information received on August 17, 2026. As a matter of practice, the university doesn’t comment on pending legal matters.”
The Civil Rights Division said it has not reached any conclusions about whether the university violated federal law.
Federal efforts to obtain detailed student and admissions records from colleges have faced legal challenges that have expressed concerns about student privacy. The Justice Department has maintained that federal law allows it to obtain student information otherwise protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, without student consent when the records are needed to enforce federal civil rights laws such as Title VI.
The DOJ sued Harvard in February for not releasing admissions data.
