Overview
- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division opened a compliance review and sent Harvard a notice seeking documents and student-level records about China-linked gifts, with a production deadline of July 31, the department said Monday.
- A government audit of Section 117 disclosures found Harvard reported roughly $4.5 billion in foreign funding overall and more than $630 million from China, and identified gifts that impose recipient-country preferences.
- As part of the review the DOJ requested materials on so-called “Chinese Restricted Funds” and Harvard’s policies for handling donor restrictions while stressing the agency has not reached any conclusions.
- Harvard responded that it follows federal reporting rules and does not unlawfully discriminate in awarding aid and said it is reviewing the Justice Department notice.
- The inquiry builds on a broader Trump administration push for more transparency and enforcement at elite universities and could lead to measures including suspension of federal funding if investigators find Title VI violations.