US government tightens oversight of Harvard, demands more data on admissions process

President Donald Trump's administration expanded its campaign against Harvard University on Friday.
The Department of Education classified the elite university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as “Heightened Cash Monitoring,” which means that Harvard must first advance its own funds for student aid before it can access federal funds.

The department cited “growing concerns about the financial situation” of the oldest and richest university in the US as the reason for this decision.

Harvard has endowment assets of around $53 billion, but has cut spending and issued bonds in light of the conflicts with Washington.

At the same time, the department demanded proof from Harvard that the university no longer considers racial criteria in its admissions process.

In 2023, the Supreme Court declared the practice of affirmative action to be unlawful. Since then, many universities have reported declining diversity among first-year students.

In early September, a federal judge ruled that the government had unlawfully cut more than $2 billion in Harvard research grants.

Nevertheless, the institute faces the loss of all federal funding if it does not comply with the Civil Rights Division's requests.

Harvard has not yet responded to the government's latest moves.

(reuters, ap, harvard gazette)