ST. LOUIS — In its broadening effort to rid American education of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Trump administration says it’s investigating more than 50 universities for racial discrimination, including 45 that allegedly engaged in “race-exclusionary practices†in their graduate programs.
One of those universities is Washington University in St. Louis.
The U.S. Department of Education in a news release Friday accused Washington University of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with the PhD Project, an organization to increase workforce diversity by helping historically underrepresented groups obtain business degrees.
The Education Department says the organization “limits eligibility based on the race of participants†and its partner universities use “race exclusionary practices in graduate programs.â€
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PhD project’s website lists both Washington University and University of Missouri-Columbia as partners, though MU was not included in the Education Department’s list.
Julie Flory, Washington University’s vice chancellor for communications, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
The Education Department announced the new investigations about a month after educational institutions in its “Dear Colleague letter†that schools could lose federal funding if they embrace “race-based preferences†in financial aid, admissions and other areas of academia.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,†U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the release. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.â€
Washington University joins a growing list of universities under scrutiny from the federal government amid a perilous time for higher education. Colleges were already bracing for significant drops in enrollments as birth rates decline, but now federal threats of funding cuts, whether that’s for research or institutional support, have added more financial uncertainty.
Jake Roeglin, a PhD student at Washington University, holds an upside-down American flag during a Stand up for Science protest on South Kingshighway Boulevard near Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Some universities have implemented hiring freezes as they brace for federal funding cuts. But Flory, in an email to the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday, said Washington University did not have a hiring freeze in effect.
On Monday, the Education Department warned 60 colleges of “potential enforcement actions†if they don’t do more to protect Jewish students on campus. Washington University was not included on the list among its peers of elite universities.
The probe into Washington University comes as the university puts forth a message of political neutrality.
Last year, Washington University and Vanderbilt University committed to a joint that pledged to institutional neutrality, meaning its leaders would not “take positions on political and social matters not directly connected to the core function of the university.â€
Several other universities have as political pressures grew as a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Protests calling on universities to divest from Israel or companies aiding the conflict led to divides on campuses.
In April, 100 people — mostly Washington University outsiders, university officials said — were arrested at Washington University’s Tisch Park.
Washington University Chancellor Andrew D. Martin approaches the podium to make his inaugural address on Oct. 3, 2019.
“The protests that roiled America’s campuses last spring showed us how sorely universities need a return to a culture of civil discourse,†Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin and Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier wrote in a . “Universities that have not yet done so must return to the practice of institutional neutrality....â€
Martin briefly addressed the Education Department’s “Dear Colleague†letter at his in February.
When it came to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, Martin said, “I don’t really know what DEI is†and the federal officials lacked a precise definition in their warning to universities.
“I have no particular commitments to the letters D, E or I or the concatenation of the three, but what I am committed to, and what I know what this community is committed to, is the work to drive excellence,†Martin said.
Of the over 15,200 undergraduate and graduate enrolled at Washington University this school year, about 37% are white, 14.5% Asian, 9% Hispanic and 8% Black.
The university in Black students enrolled this in fall’s freshmen class compared to the last, from 12% to 8%, after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 ruled an end to race-conscious admission programs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of March 2, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
