31 universities end partnerships with nonprofit for people of colour after Trump administration probe

The Trump administration said Thursday that its campaign to end diversity initiatives in higher education has led 31 universities to cut ties with The PhD Project, a nonprofit that supports racial minorities pursuing doctoral degrees.

The group drew scrutiny last year from conservative strategists and later became the subject of an investigation by the United States Department of Education. The Republican administration has argued that some diversity programs exclude white and Asian American students.

The investigation, opened in March 2025, concluded that partnerships with The PhD Project violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in education programs that receive federal funding. The department’s Office for Civil Rights said negotiations are continuing with 14 additional universities.

In a statement, the department said The PhD Project “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants” and that institutions working with the organization were in breach of federal law.

“This is the Trump effect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

Universities respond to federal pressure

Many universities moved quickly to end their associations after the inquiry began, amid warnings that federal funding could be at risk over what the department described as race based preferences.

The list of 31 institutions released by the department includes Arizona State University, Ohio State University, and University of Michigan, along with private universities such as Yale University, Duke University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the university had paid a nominal fee to participate in The PhD Project’s conferences and fairs, allowing representatives to answer questions about doctoral study, the Associated Press reports. The institute informed the government in April 2025 that it had ended its participation. Months later, it was notified that the Office for Civil Rights had found it in violation of Title VI.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology signed a resolution agreement with the department about a week ago to settle the matter but did not admit liability or wrongdoing, spokesperson Kimberly Allen said, according to AP.

The University of North Dakota said it ended its membership two weeks after the investigation was announced. “The University became a member of the PhD Project to have access to the PhD Project’s member directory and applicant database, to be able to recruit a larger pool of qualified applicants for faculty positions,” spokesperson David Dodds said in a statement, AP reports.

The University of Utah said it had hosted a table at the nonprofit’s annual conferences during the 2024 to 2025 academic year and in the two previous years. The university cut ties in October after reaching a settlement with the department, spokesperson Rebecca Walsh said.

Out of 170 doctoral students admitted to Utah’s business school over the past 14 years, two were associated with The PhD Project, Walsh said, according to AP.

The nonprofit and the broader campaign

The PhD Project said it was founded to increase representation at the front of business classrooms. “The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms and this remains our goal today,” the organization said in a statement Thursday, according to AP. Its website states that it has helped more than 1,500 members earn doctoral degrees.

The Education Department said all 31 universities have also agreed to review other partnerships to ensure compliance with Title VI. The administration has targeted a range of programs it characterizes as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The outcome of the ongoing negotiations with additional universities will indicate how far the department intends to extend its scrutiny. For now, the investigation has reshaped how institutions assess external partnerships that intersect with federal civil rights law.
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