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8h ago

Education Department Puts Harvard on Heightened Cash Monitoring, Demands $36 Million Guarantee

Federal officials are using financial oversight to compel Harvard’s cooperation with ongoing investigations into civil-rights compliance, including admissions.

FILE - People take photos near a John Harvard statue, left, on the Harvard University campus, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Banners hang from the side of Memorial Church on the first day of classes at Harvard University.
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Overview

  • Harvard must front federal student-aid disbursements from its own funds and then seek reimbursement, with students’ eligibility for aid unchanged.
  • The Office for Civil Rights issued a denial-of-access letter over Harvard’s refusal to produce admissions records and warned of further enforcement.
  • Officials said three factors triggered the designation: an HHS finding of Title VI violations tied to antisemitism, alleged noncompliance with OCR requests, and plans to issue about $1 billion in bonds.
  • The Federal Student Aid office is requiring an irrevocable $36 million letter of credit or equivalent financial protection to mitigate perceived risk.
  • A judge this month ordered more than $2 billion in previously frozen research funds restored; Harvard said $46 million from HHS was released Friday as the administration signals more sanctions.