WASHINGTON, MARCH 24, 2026 — The Trump administration escalated its war against America’s most prestigious university on Monday, launching two new federal investigations into Harvard — one targeting alleged antisemitism on campus and a second examining whether the university has continued to use race-based admissions preferences in defiance of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling ending affirmative action. Harvard has 20 days to hand over admissions data or face referral to the Justice Department and potential loss of federal funding.
The investigations were announced by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and represent the latest escalation in what has become one of the most sustained federal pressure campaigns against a single university in modern American history. The announcement came just three days after the Justice Department filed a separate lawsuit against Harvard alleging the school failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from severe and pervasive harassment in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks.
“No one — not even Harvard — is above the law,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement Monday. “If Harvard continues to stonewall as we try to verify its basic compliance with antidiscrimination statutes, we will vigorously hold them to account.”
Two Investigations. Two Different Targets.
The first investigation focuses on antisemitism. The Education Department’s civil rights office will examine whether Harvard failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment — a question that has been central to federal scrutiny of Harvard since protests erupted on campus following the October 7 attacks. Harvard’s own internal task force found last year that both Jewish and Muslim students had experienced bigotry and abuse on campus. The administration has focused exclusively on the findings related to Jewish students.
The second investigation focuses on admissions practices. The Education Department is examining whether Harvard continues to use race as a factor in its admissions process — a practice the Supreme Court banned in its landmark Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling in 2023. The department had requested enrollment data from Harvard in May 2025 to verify compliance with that ruling. Harvard has not provided it. Monday’s announcement gives the university 20 days to comply or face enforcement action including a referral to the DOJ.
Harvard’s Escalating Confrontation With the Federal Government
| Federal Action Against Harvard | Date |
|---|---|
| $2 billion+ in federal research funding frozen | Early 2026 |
| DOJ lawsuit over antisemitism and campus safety | March 21, 2026 |
| Education Dept opens admissions investigation | March 23, 2026 |
| Education Dept opens antisemitism investigation | March 23, 2026 |
| Harvard’s deadline to provide admissions data | 20 days from March 23 |
| Potential consequence | Loss of federal funding, DOJ referral |
Harvard’s Response — And What It Is Risking
Harvard’s response Monday was defiant. A university spokesperson called the new investigations “retaliatory actions” against the school for refusing to surrender its independence and constitutional rights. The spokesperson said Harvard is firmly committed to confronting antisemitism, has taken concrete steps to prevent harassment and discrimination, and does not discriminate in admissions on the basis of race.
The stakes for Harvard are considerable. The university currently receives more than $9 billion in federal funding — including research grants, student financial aid, and government contracts. The administration has already frozen more than $2 billion of that funding as part of its ongoing pressure campaign. A finding of civil rights violations could expose the entire remainder to clawback proceedings.
Harvard is not alone. The Education Department has launched antisemitism investigations into at least 60 universities and has already reached multiyear settlement agreements with Columbia, Northwestern, Cornell, Brown, and the Universities of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Columbia agreed to pay more than $200 million to the government as part of its settlement — a precedent that Harvard’s administration has explicitly rejected, calling such arrangements “pay-to-play” deals that undermine academic freedom and institutional independence.
The Broader Crackdown on Elite Universities
Monday’s action is the latest chapter in a sustained Trump administration campaign to reshape American higher education. Over the past two months, federal officials have sued Harvard over campus antisemitism, moved to compel release of admissions records, cut academic ties with the school — declaring Harvard was no longer a “welcoming institution” for military-affiliated students — and frozen billions in federal research funding.
The campaign extends well beyond Harvard. The administration has targeted universities over pro-Palestinian protests, transgender policies, climate programs, and diversity initiatives — using the threat of federal funding cuts as its primary lever of pressure. Legal challenges have blocked some of those funding freezes, but the administration has continued filing new suits and opening new investigations at a pace that has overwhelmed the legal resources of even the wealthiest schools.
Whether Harvard ultimately complies, negotiates a settlement, or fights the administration in federal court will be one of the defining legal battles of 2026. The 20-day deadline starts now.
