Trump administration ramps up its campaign against colleges

Both the State Department and the Department of Education announced new investigations into universities (which is quite significant)

On the other hand, Harvard University, a frequent target of the Trump administration, is the subject of a new evaluation of its eligibility to participate in the Exchange Visitor gram, the State Department said

Additionally, The University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University are subjects of a new Education Department investigation into scholarship grams, in today's market environment

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesThe Trump administration continued building its multi-nged case against American universities Wednesday, with the announcement of new investigations by the departments of state and education

The new bes are the in a months-long effort across the federal government to pressure elite colleges and universities to hew more closely to the administration's political priorities

This analysis suggests that State Department announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into whether Harvard University is eligible to participate in its Exchange Visitor gram, a broad visa category that includes students, fessors, working interns and other non-tourist visitors

This analysis suggests that department did not offer a reason for the be, such as a specific complaint, but it said in a statement that universities which sponsor exchange visitors are required to show a "demonstrated commitment to fostering the principles of cultural exchange and mutual understanding upon which the gram was founded

On the other hand, "The same day, the Department of Education announced unrelated investigations into whether five universities which offer special scholarships for undocumented students are "preferencing foreign-born students" over native-born ones

The University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University are the targets of the be

However, "Neither the Trump Administration's America first policies nor the Civil Right Act of 1964's hibition on national origin discrimination permit universities to deny our fellow citizens the opportunity to compete for scholarships because they were born in the United States," said the department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, Craig Trainor

In contrast, The bes are based on complaints submitted to the Office of Civil Rights by the Equal tection ject of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, a conservative advocacy group (this bears monitoring)

Moreover, In a highly unusual step, the education department included a statement from the advocacy group in its official announcement of the bes, in this volatile climate

The OCR also said it was investigating additional scholarships at the schools that allegedly exclude other groups, including Western Michigan's scholarship for "African American, Native American, or Hispanic American" students and University of Louisville's scholarship for "LGBTQ+ students of color. "Four of five universities did not immediately respond to a request for (an important development), given current economic conditions

A spokeswoman for the University of Michigan told CNBC, "The university has received a letter of notification relating to this matter

Additionally, "University of Michigan students walk on the UM campus on April 3, 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan

On the other hand, Bill Pugliano | Getty ImagesA campaign to reshape higher educationWednesday's announcements are the step in the Trump administration's full-throated campaign to root out and penalize elite universities and increasingly, public and state colleges, for policies that do not align with administration priorities

Harvard has been the target of multiple bes, as both a legal challenge and private negotiations between the university and the administration continue over Trump's federal funding freezes, considering recent developments

Additionally, A Harvard spokesperson told CNBC the investigation is "yet another retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights

Additionally, "A separate federal be determined last month that Harvard had violated the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students, and Trump said in May that he wanted to revoke the university's tax-exempt

Nevertheless, The government has also moved to freeze federal funding for several other Ivy League schools (something worth watching), in today's market environment

Trump has said he is considering redirecting this money to trade schools, in today's financial world

Earlier this month, the House Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas to Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, looking into alleged antitrust violations in the universities' tuition and financial aid policies (noteworthy indeed)

This leads to the conclusion that announcement ed letters sent to all eight Ivy Leagues requesting documents

In June, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan stepped down from his position after the Justice Department called for his resignation while the government investigated the school for its DEI policies (remarkable data)

More than a dozen schools, including Columbia University, Northwestern University and the University of California, Berkeley, have come under scrutiny, given current economic conditions.