This week the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (ED-OCR) entered a voluntary university-wide settlement agreement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to end antisemitism and race discrimination. The settlement agreement resolves investigations conducted by the Civil Rights Division and ED-OCR under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin (protected characteristics).
“Title VI requires that all students – regardless of their ancestry or race – receive equal treatment under the law at federally funded colleges and universities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Higher ed policies and practices that tolerate antisemitism or favor certain racial groups over others, frustrate our color-blind justice system. The Civil Rights Division commends UNC for its cooperation in meeting its obligations under federal law without the need for litigation; we hope other institutions will take note and do the same.”
“Today’s agreement with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is an important step in upholding civil rights laws and restoring the American people’s confidence in higher education,” said Assistant Secretary Kimberly Richey of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. “The Trump Administration is holding schools accountable for antisemitism at American universities and ensuring that institutions, which have no problem accessing generous taxpayer support, follow all federal laws and ensure safe learning environments. Because of today’s agreement with UNC, aspiring students will be assessed based solely on their merit – not race – and Jewish students can thrive without the threat of antisemitic discrimination.”
Under the settlement agreement – which applies to all undergraduate, graduate, professional, and other schools, components, and programs – UNC will take several steps in key areas:
- Antisemitism: UNC shall maintain policies aimed at prohibiting, preventing, and disciplining unlawful antisemitism, which includes establishing a Title VI Coordinator position, ensuring Jewish and Israeli students are covered by UNC’s Non-Discrimination Policy, promptly assess and investigate antisemitism complaints, provide mandatory antisemitism training to all students, faculty, and staff, deploy additional law enforcement resources when events or other factors warrant to protect Jewish and Israeli students, and prohibit face masks that conceal an individual’s identity. UNC will also discipline and sanction student groups for antisemitic discriminatory conduct.
- Admissions practices: UNC shall adopt and maintain a color-blind admissions system, which includes refraining from using race, analyzing racial data, altering its admissions process to change the racial composition of its student body, and disfavoring applicants who decline to identify their race. UNC shall not use race in selecting admissions personnel. And UNC may not partner with “bridge” or “pipeline” programs that consider any protected characteristic.
- Educational operations: Consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, UNC shall adopt and maintain wholly race-blind policies regarding student benefits, scholarships, financial aid, and programming. Further, scholarship criteria will not include diversity or identification with any protected characteristic.
The settlement agreement also includes monitoring and reporting provisions. Within 30 days, UNC will select a “Merit & Civil Rights Administrator” who will be responsible for implementing the settlement agreement. And on a quarterly basis, UNC will send any antisemitism and race discrimination complaints it has received to ED-OCR and the Civil Rights Division. The settlement agreement will be in effect until Dec. 31, 2028.
Because of UNC’s cooperation, UNC will remain eligible for federal funding. In addition, ED-OCR will close 18 active investigations into UNC. And the Civil Rights Division will also close its 18-month compliance review, which was opened on April 18, 2025.
As recipients of federal financial assistance, colleges and universities are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Civil Rights Division will continue to investigate their compliance with Title VI.
NOTE: Read the Settlement Agreement here .
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/ .