Harvard Faces Federal Probe Over Legacy Admissions Complaint
Merchandise is displayed for sale at a bookstore near Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
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The US Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether Harvard University discriminates by giving preference to undergraduate applicants with connections to donors and alumni, according to a letter by the agency.
The probe is in response to allegations by a group of civil rights lawyers. They say Harvard’s use of so-called legacy preferences violates a law that prohibits all educational institutions from receiving federal funding if they discriminate on the basis “of race, color or national origin in any programs or activity.”