TEXAS — The U.S. Department of Education is investigating alleged race-exclusionary practices in the graduate programs of two Texas universities.

The University of North Texas and Rice University are two of the 45 schools currently under investigation.

Investigations are being conducted into partnerships between these institutions and “The Ph.D. Project,” a nonprofit aiding underrepresented students in pursuing business degrees to promote diversity in the business sector in response to Title VI violation claims.

“The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.” 

The Department of Education’s Feb. 14 letter to federally funded educational institutions clarified that federal law prohibits race-based preferences and stereotypes in admissions, hiring, compensation and other programs.

The following universities are under investigation for potentially discriminatory graduate admissions practices:

Arizona State University — Main Campus  

Boise State University  

Cal Poly Humboldt  

California State University — San Bernardino  

Carnegie Mellon University  

Clemson University  

Cornell University  

Duke University  

Emory University  

George Mason University  

Georgetown University  

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  

Montana State University — Bozeman   

New York University (NYU)  

Rice University  

Rutgers University  

The Ohio State University — Main Campus  

Towson University  

Tulane University  

University of Arkansas — Fayetteville   

University of California-Berkeley  

University of Chicago  

University of Cincinnati — Main Campus  

University of Colorado — Colorado Springs

University of Delaware  

University of Kansas  

University of Kentucky  

University of Michigan — Ann Arbor 

University of Minnesota — Twin Cities  

University of Nebraska at Omaha  

University of New Mexico — Main Campus  

University of North Dakota — Main Campus  

University of North Texas — Denton   

University of Notre Dame  

University of NV — Las Vegas  

University of Oregon  

University of Rhode Island  

University of Utah  

University of Washington — Seattle  

University of Wisconsin — Madison  

University of Wyoming  

Vanderbilt University  

Washington State University 

Washington University in St. Louis  

Yale University 

The following schools are under investigation for allegedly offering race-based scholarships and practicing “race-based segregation”:

Grand Valley State University   

Ithaca College  

New England College of Optometry   

University of Alabama  

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

University of South Florida  

University of Oklahoma, Tulsa School of Community Medicine