The Justice Department opened a Title VI compliance review into GW’s admissions practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion, the University announced Thursday.
The DOJ notified GW last week that it had launched a Title VI compliance review of DEI in the University’s admissions and “related matters,” and officials in Thursday’s Weekly Federal Update email said they will cooperate and demonstrate that their admissions practices comply with federal civil rights law. The review is the DOJ’s second probe into GW, coming on the heels of a meeting last week to discuss its August finding that the University violated Title VI by acting deliberately indifferent to campus antisemitism, which the department warned could trigger enforcement measures unless they reach a resolution agreement.
GW is among more than 50 universities the DOJ is investigating over DEI practices in its programs and activities, part of a broader federal push under President Donald Trump. Trump on his first day in office signed an executive order calling for the elimination of DEI positions in the federal government to the “maximum extent allowed by the law,” and the following day directed agencies to enforce civil rights laws against what he described as illegal DEI initiatives in the private sector.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, according to the Department of Education.
University spokesperson Julia Garbitt said the school complies with all applicable federal laws and will cooperate with the DOJ’s Title VI compliance review. She added that officials will provide updates to the community when possible, though they may not be able to share some information for legal or business reasons.
“The University remains committed to fostering a supportive, welcoming and inclusive community environment and fulfilling our educational mission,” Garbitt said in an email.
The DOJ did not return a request for comment on the compliance review and possible punitive actions should they determine the University violated Title VI.
Officials confirmed in August that the University was conducting a “careful review” of a July DOJ memo warning that institutions who receive federal funding, including GW, could face “significant legal risks” if they engaged in practices the Trump administration classifies as discriminatory, like DEI initiatives.
The probe into GW’s DEI practices in admissions comes after students in November reported rollbacks of several DEI initiatives since Trump launched a national crackdown on campus diversity programs, coupled with officials omitting diversity-related terminology in communications — a move students said indicates the University is yielding to federal pressure.
In recent months, GW has paused or scaled back several diversity initiatives, including halting the search for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement’s top post, shuttering the law school’s DEI website and twice postponing the University’s annual diversity summit, which officials are now considering renaming. Interim Provost John Lach said officials’ decision to postpone the event does not signal a retreat from DEI initiatives.
Vice President and Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success Jay Goff in an enrollment update last month did not mention the University’s sixth post-pandemic goal to increase student diversity, even though it was one of the objectives officials were set to work on from 2021 through 2026.
Goff in December 2024 said the University met all its enrollment targets for the 2024 admissions cycle despite delays in federal aid applications and the Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admissions policies, with admitted underrepresented minorities rising to comprise 25.7 percent of the Class of 2028. Goff’s presentation to the Faculty Senate last month did not include breakdowns of student populations by ethnicity for the Class of 2029.
Trump ordered the Department of Education in early August to collect expanded admissions data from institutions of higher education to see if any institutions were continuing to practice affirmative action policies in admissions. The order came over two years after the Supreme Court overturned the practice, which effectively ended race-based admissions practices.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi in March launched compliance review investigations into several universities’ admissions policies, including Stanford University and University of California schools, in an effort officials said would end illegal discrimination following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end affirmative action in University admissions.
The DOJ throughout 2025 launched similar investigations into a flurry of schools, including Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, and George Mason University. Some universities, like Columbia and Brown, reached agreements with the DOJ to maintain federal funding, agreeing to share admissions data and implement reforms addressing nondiscrimination and student discipline.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to University President Ellen Granberg in August at the conclusion of a DOJ investigation, informing her that the department determined GW had violated Title VI by acting deliberately indifferent to antisemitic incidents on campus.
The investigation cited incidents during the April 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard, and threatened punitive action against the University if officials did not enter a voluntary resolution agreement.
Granberg confirmed in an email to GW community members last week that officials met with the DOJ on Jan. 6 for the first time to share with the department’s officials the “full array” of measures GW had implemented to combat antisemitism on campus.
The department’s investigation into the University of Virginia — coming after the school’s president resigned in June at the DOJ’s alleged request — ended after the university agreed to implement a series of reforms prohibiting DEI practices.
Columbia University cut a deal with the Trump administration after they pulled over $400 million in research grants for the institution over the school’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests in spring 2024.
