BOSTON — The Trump administration is seeking to strip Harvard University of its accreditation, saying the Ivy League school is in violation of federal civil rights laws for failing to control antisemitism on campus.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced Wednesday that it has notified the New England Commission of Higher Education, which audits degree-granting colleges in the region. It says Harvard is failing to meet its standards for accreditation.
The move, which is likely to be challenged, would strip the nation’s oldest college of its eligibility to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants and federal work-study or student loan programs.
In a statement, the federal departments said Harvard is in violation of antidiscrimination laws and therefore its accreditor needs to work with the university or take away accreditation if Harvard fails to remedy the situation.
“Accrediting bodies play a significant role in preserving academic integrity and a campus culture conducive to truth-seeking and learning. Part of that is ensuring students are safe on campus and abiding by federal laws that guarantee educational opportunities to all students,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
“By allowing anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers,” she added.
McMahon said she expects the NECHE “to enforce its policies and practices, and to keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards.”
In response to the letter, Harvard issued a statement, saying it is in compliance with the accreditation standards, and it has taken “substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism” on its Cambridge-based campus.
“Antisemitism is a serious problem and no matter the context, it is unacceptable. We are not alone in confronting this challenge and recognize that this work is ongoing,” the statement said. “We remain committed to ensuring members of our Jewish and Israeli community are embraced, respected, and can thrive at Harvard.”
The push to revoke Harvard’s accreditation is the latest effort by the Trump administration to target elite U.S. schools over their handling of pro-Palestinian protests that rocked many college campuses last year in response to Israel’s war on Hamas.
In June, the federal agencies turned Columbia University over to its accreditor after launching an investigation of the New York City Ivy-league school and froze $400 million in federal grants over the university’s “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.”
The Trump administration has also sought to withhold federal funding from Harvard and prevent from enrolling international students in an effort to punish the school for refusing to yield to the White House’s policy demands.
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will subpoena the university for “relevant information” about its foreign students attending its campus, after a judge blocked the agency’s directive to stop Harvard from enrolling international students.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.