According to the complaint, applicants with legacy or donor connections to Harvard College are nearly 70 percent white and have a six to seven times higher chance of being admitted compared to regular applicants.
According to the complaint, applicants with legacy or donor connections to Harvard College are nearly 70 percent white and have a six to seven times higher chance of being admitted compared to regular applicants.
The United States Department of Education has launched an investigation into Harvard University’s admissions process to determine whether the prestigious institution is engaging in racial discrimination.
The probe comes in response to a letter from the agency, which was triggered by a complaint lodged by three civil rights groups earlier this month, Reuters reported.
The groups alleged that Harvard’s preferential treatment of applicants with ties to donors and alumni, known as “legacy” applicants, disproportionately benefits white students and violates federal civil rights laws.
Legacy admissions policies, a practice employed by numerous colleges and universities, have come under increased scrutiny since June when the Supreme Court invalidated race-conscious admissions policies implemented by Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, the report added.
According to the complaint, applicants with legacy or donor connections to Harvard College are nearly 70 percent white and have a six to seven times higher chance of being admitted compared to regular applicants.
The statistics presented in the complaint were derived from Harvard’s admissions data, which became public as a result of the Supreme Court case ruling in June.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the Education Department is expected to collect more current data to thoroughly assess the situation.
In response to the investigation and the recent Supreme Court decision, Harvard University is reviewing aspects of its admissions policies to ensure the continued admission of a diverse student body.
“Harvard remains dedicated to redoubling our efforts to encourage students from many different backgrounds to apply for admission,” Nicole Rura, a spokesperson for Harvard, said.
The U.S. Department of Education confirmed the open investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in programs receiving federal funds. However, the agency did not provide any further comments at this time.
Wesleyan University and the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus recently announced their decision to discontinue the use of legacy admissions in July, following a growing trend among higher education institutions in the US.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Oren Sellstrom, the litigation director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, expressed concern about Harvard’s admissions practices and the need for fair representation. Representatives from two Boston-area civil rights groups, who are also part of the complaint, joined the conference.
In contrast, Edward Blum, an affirmative action opponent whose group Students for Fair Admissions previously sued Harvard and played a role in the recent Supreme Court ruling, expressed hope that colleges would discontinue legacy preferences.
However, he believes that legacy preferences are unlikely to be deemed illegal since prominent organizations like the NAACP and the Mexican American Legal Defense Foundation have not challenged these practices in the past.
