January 1, Prestigious College Hit With Federal Probe Over Race-Based Discrimination

Wyatt’s Take

• The DOJ just launched an investigation into a Virginia college accused of handing out scholarships and benefits based on race — exactly the kind of discrimination federal law was designed to stop.
• Programs favoring certain racial groups over others aren’t just unconstitutional, they’re a slap in the face to every hardworking American student who’s been passed over because of the color of their skin.
• The Trump administration is finally holding these ivory tower elites accountable for playing favorites and rigging the system against merit and fairness.

The Department of Justice opened an investigation on Monday into the College of William & Mary to determine whether certain scholarships and student benefits at the Virginia-based public research institution include unlawful race-based criteria. This marks another major step in the Trump administration’s aggressive push to root out discrimination in America’s educational institutions.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division announced it was launching a compliance review for the college’s potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

“Awarding scholarships or offering coveted opportunities to students based on the color of their skin is illegal and offends the guarantees of our color-blind Constitution,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement.

“We will find out if scholarships or other student benefits at William & Mary favor applicants of certain races. The Department will not turn a blind eye to race-based preferences, however they are packaged or portrayed by universities,” she continued.

The investigation centers on several programs at the prestigious Virginia college. The “W&M Scholars” program for first-year undergraduate students includes a scholarship that covers at least the full cost of in-state tuition and fees.

While the scholarship isn’t officially limited to any particular race, the DOJ noted in its letter to the institution that applicants with an “interest in diverse people and perspectives” receive “top consideration.” That phrase is listed on William & Mary’s website right alongside academic ability and first-generation or limited-income status — a clever workaround that amounts to the same kind of racial favoritism these programs claim to oppose.

The W&M School of Education’s need-based Martha L. Muguira Fellowship for graduate students gives a “preference” to Hispanic or Latino women who have financial need, according to the DOJ. The School of Education’s doctoral-level Holmes Scholars program was described by federal investigators as giving “future education leaders of color” mentorship, access to job fairs and position announcements, as well as national-level professional development benefits including policy and advocacy training and opportunities to present their research.

William & Mary’s current website now describes Holmes Scholars as students “from traditionally under-represented backgrounds” — a change in language that doesn’t hide what the program was designed to do.

The DOJ also flagged the W&M Law School’s Lemon Legal Scholars Program. According to investigators, the law school offers up to five full scholarships covering tuition and fees that appear to be exclusively for HBCU graduates.

William & Mary’s current website says the law school “will award at least five full scholarships” to HBCU graduates admitted to its J.D. program.

Recipients of this scholarship also receive networking opportunities, one-on-one academic advising regarding course load and bar exam preparation, as well as access to special events with W&M Law School faculty, senior administrators and alumni. In other words, they get preferential treatment from day one through graduation based on where they went to undergrad — not what they’ve achieved.

The law school also advertises the “Reaching Back Scholarship,” which is a need-based scholarship that has a “preference” for HBCU graduates or those “who contribute to the diversity” of W&M Law School, the DOJ said. That’s code for race-based selection criteria dressed up in fashionable academic language.

Some programs at the institution were established to deal with the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination at William & Mary. But instead of creating equal opportunity for all students, these programs have simply flipped the script — replacing one form of discrimination with another.

The DOJ urged William & Mary to hand over certain documents and information by September 8 as part of the compliance review. The department said it wants to secure compliance by “informal voluntary means” but may take formal action such as proceedings that could result in the termination of federal financial assistance if it deems such a move necessary.

Responding to the federal probe, William & Mary said in a statement that it is “committed to nondiscriminatory learning environments across our campus and complying with all state and federal laws.”

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said it had not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation.

This is just the latest effort by the Trump administration to target educational institutions across the nation for issues such as race-based admissions and scholarships, diversity, equity and inclusion programs and alleged antisemitism on campus. From Harvard to UCLA, the message is clear: colleges can’t keep rigging the system and expect taxpayer dollars to keep flowing.

Why This Matters

For decades, working families have watched their kids get passed over for scholarships and opportunities because they checked the wrong box on a form. The elites running these colleges preach equality while practicing the exact opposite — giving handouts based on skin color instead of merit. Every American deserves a fair shot at education, and that means judging people by their character and achievements, not their race. It’s time these institutions learned that lesson, or learned to live without federal funding.