Round-up: Harvard Facing Legacy Admissions Investigation

Harvard University’s legacy admissions policy is the now the subject of a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The inquiry will examine allegations by three liberal groups that Harvard’s practice of showing preference for the relatives of alumni and donors discriminates against Black, Hispanic and Asian applicants in favor of white and wealthy students who are less qualified.
 
The investigation comes in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on race-conscious admissions and increasing calls to eliminate legacy admissions at elite colleges and universities.
 
Below is a sampling of national media coverage on the development:
 
Education Dept. Opens Civil Rights Inquiry Into Harvard’s Legacy Admissions
The New York Times (July 25, 2023)
 
Why Legacy Admissions Are at the Center of a Dispute in Higher Education
The New York Times (July 25, 2023)
 
Do Legacy Admissions Policies Have a Future?
The New York Times (July 25, 2023)
 
Harvard Faces Federal Civil Rights Inquiry Over Legacy Admissions
The Washington Post (July 25, 2023)
 
Harvard Faces Civil Rights Inquiry into Legacy and Donor Admissions Preferences
Higher Ed Dive (July 26, 2023)