Washington: The US Department of Justice announced on Monday that it had launched an investigation to review whether some Harvard University financial aid programs were discriminatory. The department said the investigation aims to determine whether China’s financial aid programs and practices exclude U.S. citizen students.Harvard said Monday that it “does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin in allocating financial aid.” The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League college is reviewing the Department of Justice’s recent letter to Harvard and will cooperate with the government on the matter, a university spokesman said.US law requires universities to report donations received from foreign sources that exceed $250,000 per year.
Harvard previously said it had submitted reports for decades “as part of its compliance with the law.”The university has also previously described the Trump administration’s investigations as “retaliatory actions against Harvard for its refusal to waive our independence and constitutional rights.” An agreement to resolve the Trump administration’s broader investigations into Harvard remains elusive.The Trump administration has targeted universities with investigations and threats to suspend funding over a range of issues. These include pro-Palestinian protests against the Israeli attack on Gaza, transgender policies, and climate programmes. Last month, a judge blocked the Trump administration from implementing a plan to bar foreign citizens from entering the United States to study at Harvard University.(This is a Reuters report)