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31 Universities to End Ties With The PhD Project After Federal Civil-Rights Probe

The Education Department’s civil-rights office says the nonprofit’s past race-limited eligibility violated Title VI.

Overview

  • The Office for Civil Rights said 31 institutions have either already cut the partnership or signed resolution agreements to do so and will review other affiliations for race-based restrictions.
  • The investigations began in March 2025 and initially covered 45 universities, with negotiations continuing with the remaining 14 schools.
  • Education Secretary Linda McMahon cast the agreements as part of the administration’s push to end race-based programs under Title VI.
  • Some universities, including MIT, finalized resolution agreements without admitting wrongdoing after previously ending participation in the group’s events.
  • The PhD Project says it has removed race and ethnicity from application criteria and reports partner losses that created financial strain as colleges reassess broader DEI-linked affiliations.