UK one of more than 50 universities facing federal investigation for DEI programs
The University of Kentucky is one of more than 50 universities being investigated by the US Department of Education for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the department announced Friday.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has announced investigations into universities “to end the use of racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.” Additional universities are being investigated for awarding race-based scholarships, the announcement said.
It comes one month after the Trump administration warned colleges they could lose federal funding over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or parts of student life on campus.
“Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”
UK is the only Kentucky school on the list, although schools in surrounding states are also being investigated, including Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and Vanderbilt University.
Other schools being investigated include such large public universities as Arizona State University, University of California-Berkeley and Rutgers University, as well as private schools, including Yale University, Cornell University and Duke University.
In a message sent to UK students and employees Friday night, UK President Eli Capilouto said the university had seen the announcement from the Department of Education, but had not yet received “any official notification” regarding the investigation.
“To be clear: The University of Kentucky complies with both the Constitution and Title VI,” Capilouto said. “Our graduate programs are open to all qualified applicants.”
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
Capilouto said it was his understanding the investigation was brought on by UK’s relationship with an organization called The Ph.D. Project, a networking organization that helps doctoral students complete their degrees.
“From our initial review, UK’s role in this organization has been limited to attendance at an annual conference sponsored by the organization,” Capilouto said.
“This conference is designed to encourage networking among schools to promote enrollment. Further, from our initial review, we do not have any doctoral students engaged with the program. We will continue to monitor and review this issue, cooperate with any official inquiries and, as always, comply with the law.”
DEI in Kentucky
The announcement comes one day after Kentucky lawmakers gave final passage to a bill that would dismantle all DEI programs, offices and initiatives at public higher education institutions. House Bill 4 now goes to Gov. Andy Beshear, who can either sign it into law, let it become law without his signature or veto it.
Rep. Jennifer Decker, lead sponsor of the bill has said the bill will promote “equal opportunity, not subjective equity” on Kentucky’s higher education campuses. It also would align Kentucky with “with Equal Protection principles upon which our nation was founded.”
The bill would require state universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to defund all DEI initiatives, including offices, policies and practices “designed or implemented to promote or provide preferential treatment or benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, sex, color or national origin.”
A similar bill was introduced in 2024 but failed to become law.
Following last year’s legislative session, UK and Northern Kentucky University eliminated their DEI offices, saying they expected future legislation to target DEI initiatives on campus.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 11:49 AM.