Overview
- DOJ alleges Harvard unlawfully withheld applicant-level data, policies, and race- and DEI-related correspondence needed for a Title VI compliance review after the affirmative action ruling.
- The request covers Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Medical School and seeks grades, test scores, essays, extracurriculars, admissions outcomes, and race/ethnicity data from the past five admission cycles.
- According to the complaint, Harvard produced largely aggregated and publicly available materials in May 2025 after deadline extensions but did not provide the individualized files investigators requested.
- The lawsuit seeks an injunction compelling production and a declaration that Harvard violated Title VI grant conditions, while explicitly not alleging current discrimination or seeking damages or funding revocation.
- Harvard says it has responded in good faith and vows to fight what it calls retaliatory overreach, a dispute unfolding alongside broader clashes with the Trump administration over funding freezes and a recent $1 billion demand.