The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing Indiana University’s scholarship programs to ensure compliance with federal civil rights law, according to documents obtained by IndyStar.
As part of the probe, the DOJ asked for demographics of all IU students and scholarship recipients. It is also seeking the criteria used to evaluate scholarship recipients and a wide breadth of scholarship statistics. The Indiana Daily Student was the first to report the probe.
“As a recipient of federal financial assistance, the University is prohibited from discriminating against program participants based on any statutorily prohibited basis,” a Dec. 12 letter to IU President Pamela Whitten said.
The DOJ letter did not mention any specific incident or reason for launching the review.
The DOJ would not comment on what triggered the probe and whether any other Indiana universities were being reviewed. IU did not respond to a request for comment about the status of the probe and its internal scholarship review.
As part of the Trump administration’s repudiation of diversity, equity and inclusion principles, the U.S. Department of Education notified universities in February 2025 that all race-conscious admissions, financial aid, scholarships and other programming is illegal discrimination that could result in lost federal funding.
Following the Trump administration’s guidance, the university conducted a “thorough legal review” of its scholarships in fall 2025 and paused awarding some scholarships “until there is greater clarity around the evolving landscape,” according to a donor letter obtained by IndyStar.
“Indiana University is taking proactive steps to ensure our practices remain compliant in awarding scholarship funds where eligibility is based on a student’s membership in a protected class including race, color, ethnicity, national identity, sexual orientation and gender identity,” the letter reads.
To satisfy the DOJ request, the university’s general counsel initiated an extensive collection of data. Scholarships at all nine campuses over the last two academic years are being reviewed, according to an internal university document.
Faculty and staff involved in the scholarship process were notified in February not to delete any emails, documents, text, voicemails, handwritten notes or any other related data. The scope of the review includes funding records, communications and training materials, in addition to scholarship criteria and evaluation records.
The DOJ asked IU to provide the department with requested data by the end of January. If the probe finds a violation, the letter said it would work with IU for a voluntary compliance solution.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights also launched an investigation into potential antisemitic harassment and discrimination at IU and about 60 other universities last year. The government said the universities could be punished if found not to be adequately protecting Jewish students under the Civil Rights Act.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: DOJ probes Indiana University’s scholarship programs
Reporting by Cate Charron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
