Ed. Department to Divert $350M in Grants From Colleges Serving Students of Color

"The U.S. Department of Education announced it will withhold $350 million of congressionally approved funds to minority-serving colleges and universities and divert the funds elsewhere, saying that the institutions' admissions quotas are discriminatory. The move eliminated fiscal 2025 discretionary funding for institutions that serve students who are Asian, Black, Indigenous and Hispanic, as well as a program for students of color pursuing careers in science and engineering."

"McMahon cited a July opinion from the U.S. Justice Department that it was unconstitutional for federal funds to go to Hispanic-serving institutions based on the student body makeup. That opinion reversed a decades-long record of the federal government setting aside funding for higher education institutions that have a significant portion of students from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds."

The U.S. Department of Education will withhold $350 million in congressionally approved fiscal 2025 funds from minority-serving colleges and universities and divert the money elsewhere, citing discriminatory admissions quotas. The cut removes discretionary funding for institutions serving Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic students and ends a program for students of color pursuing science and engineering careers. Education Secretary Linda McMahon framed the decision as part of ending discrimination in federally supported programs and declared that grants restricting eligibility by government-mandated racial quotas will no longer be awarded. McMahon cited a Justice Department opinion that reversed decades of set-aside funding for minority-serving institutions.

Read at Truthout