Schools across the country that use racial preferences in admissions, hiring and scholarships risk losing their federal funding by the end of the month under the latest guidance issued by the Trump administration aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion in academia.

The department sent a sweeping “Dear Colleague” letter to educational institutions warning them to cease using “racial preferences and stereotypes” or face compliance investigations starting Feb. 28.

“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students,” the letter read in part. “These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.” 

“With this guidance, the Trump Administration is directing schools to end the use of racial preferences and race stereotypes in their programs and activities — a victory for justice, civil rights laws, and the Constitution,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor in a Saturday statement.

The guidance covered a host of areas, including admissions, hiring, promotions, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administration support, sanctions and discipline.

“For decades, schools have been operating on the pretext that selecting students for ‘diversity’ or similar euphemisms is not selecting them based on race. No longer,” Mr. Trainor said. “Students should be assessed according to merit, accomplishment and character — not prejudged by the color of their skin. The Office for Civil Rights will enforce that commitment.”

The “Dear Colleague” letter referred to the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a lawsuit brought by Asian-American students who said they were turned away despite having better grades and test scores than applicants of other races.

The department said the decision went beyond ending racial preferences in admissions by articulating a “general legal principle on the law of race, color and national origin discrimination” in which an educational institution has violated the law if it treats people differently based on race.

“By allowing this principle to guide vigorous enforcement efforts, the [Department of Education] will ensure that America’s educational institutions will again embrace merit, equality of opportunity and academic and professional excellence,” the department said.

PEN America, the authors’ rights group, condemned the guidance as “outrageous,” accusing the administration of seeking to censor speech about race and identity.

“This declaration has no basis in law and is an affront to the freedom of speech and ideas in educational settings,” said PEN America in a Saturday statement. “It represents yet another twisting of civil rights law in an effort to demand ideological conformity by schools and universities and to do away with critical inquiry about race and identity.”

At Columbia University, the student newspaper raised concerns about how the Education Department letter would affect race-themed graduation ceremonies and student housing. The university received $1.3 billion in federal grants in the 2024 federal fiscal year.

“We are evaluating the guidance in the ‘Dear Colleague’ letter issued by the Department of Education to understand the potential impacts to our university,” a Columbia spokesperson told the Spectator.

The guidance comes as the latest in a series of actions by the department challenging DEI, including diversity initiatives under its own roof.

Three days after President Trump was inaugurated, the department announced it had eliminated its own Diversity & Inclusion Council, placed DEI staff on paid administrative leave, and canceled $2.6 million in diversity training contracts. Other departments and agencies throughout the government have made similar moves.

The department said Monday it has terminated more than $600 million in grants to institutions and nonprofits engaged in teacher training on “divisive ideologies,” including DEI, “anti-racism,” and “white privilege.”

“Additionally, many of these grants included teacher and staff recruiting strategies implicitly and explicitly based on race,” said the press release.

The department has also launched investigations into transgender athletes in female collegiate sports; antisemitic harassment at five universities, and transgender policies at five Virginia school districts.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.