The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing the school of withholding admissions data that the government says it needs to determine whether the university is discriminating on the basis of race.
This is the latest of the Trump administration’s actions against Harvard. It comes months after the government attempted to cut all federal funding to the university and tried to block its ability to enroll international students over its handling of protests on campus. Federal judges blocked both efforts but the Trump administration has appealed the funding decision.
The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts District Court on Thursday, alleges that Harvard is “not complying with a federal investigation,” the lawsuit said.
Athletes row under the John W. Weeks Footbridge passing Harvard University campus on the Charles River on October 18, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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The department alleges that Harvard “slow-walked the pace of production and refused to provide pertinent documents relating to applicant-level admissions decisions,” according to the lawsuit.
The DOJ is seeking documents “including individualized applicant admissions data, admissions policies, and correspondence related to race; ethnicity; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and Students for Fair Admissions,” the department said in a statement Friday.
A Harvard sign is seen at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, May 27, 2025.
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“Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is demanding better from our nation’s educational institutions,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement Friday. “Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination — we will continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America.”
The DOJ is alleging Harvard has failed to comply with its request for sufficient document production for compliance review, and therefore “breached” a term of the government’s federal financial assistance.
Among its requests of Harvard at the center of the suit, the DOJ requested that Harvard certify that it “‘does not use race as a factor in making admissions decisions’ or ‘in awarding any scholarships, financial assistance, or other benefits to current or prospective students,'” the lawsuit said, citing a letter sent by the DOJ to Harvard last year.
Attorney General Pam Bondi delivers remarks on an arrest connected to the 2012 U.S. Embassy attack in Benghazi, at the Department of Justice, February 6, 2026 in Washington.
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The DOJ also asked Harvard to produce documents supporting this certification including “any and all relevant documents guiding your admissions policies and procedures” and “all admissions data for the past five academic years, including applicant test scores (SAT/ACT), GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, and admission outcomes, disaggregated by race and ethnicity,” the suit said, citing the letter sent to Harvard.
In response to the request from the DOJ that was sent last year, Harvard produced hundreds of documents, but the DOJ alleges it failed to produce “applicant-level admissions data and documents,” only producing “aggregated admissions data,” according to the lawsuit.
The government also alleged that it requested correspondence related to race, ethnicity and DEI, but Harvard failed to produce it, according to the suit.
People take photos near a John Harvard statue on the Harvard University campus, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass.
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The DOJ said it brings this “civil action solely to compel Harvard to produce documents relating to any consideration of race in admission. In this suit, the United States does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct, nor does it seek monetary damages or the revocation of federal funding,” according to the lawsuit.
The department is asking a federal judge to “declare that Harvard has violated Title VI,” order the university to produce the requested documents, and order Harvard to comply with all future documents requests from the government under Title VI and federal anti-discrimination laws.
Representatives for Harvard University did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Harvard has previously condemned the administration’s actions against it as “unprecedented” and “retaliatory,” claiming the administration “has an unlawful anti-Harvard policy,” according to statements and arguments made in court.
