Feds launch investigation of College of William & Mary, alleging discrimination in scholarships, aid

John Buzbee, The Virginian-Pilot on Aug 17, 2026

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WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The federal Department of Justice announced it is investigating William & Mary, alleging that the nation’s second-oldest university has broken civil rights law by giving non-white students preference for some scholarships and other forms of financial aid.

Such actions, the DOJ said, may have infringed on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act discriminating against some of its students on the grounds of race.

The investigation will focus on possible discrimination within the university’s scholarships, financial aid, recruitment and support, according to a letter signed by Harmeet K. Dhillon, an assistant attorney general with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

“Awarding scholarships or offering coveted opportunities to students based on the color of their skin is illegal and offends the guarantees of our color-blind Constitution,” Dhillon said in a prepared statement.

University officials said the institution does not comment on pending legal matters.

“William & Mary is committed to nondiscriminatory learning environments across our campus and complying with all state and federal laws,” said a statement from the university.

Further inquiry went unanswered by university officials.

A preliminary DOJ review identified seven university programs cited as indicators the university had awarded scholarships on a race-based criteria. One was the Martha L. Muguira Fellowship, of the School of Education, which Dhillon’s letter said showed preference toward Hispanic and Latino women.

Another program, the Reaching Back Scholarship from William & Mary’s law school, was said to prefer students who had attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The DOJ reportedly has not reached any conclusions regarding its investigation.

During President Donald Trump’s second term, the justice department has opened a series of similar investigations of colleges in Virginia and across the country. One such probe led to the resignation of University of Virginia President Jim Ryan last year. The DOJ also is investigating George Mason University in Fairfax, similarly alleging the university had awarded financial assistance in a racial discriminatory way.

The announcement was the second action by the Trump administration targeting the university. In March, the Pentagon severed ties with William & Mary, saying at the time the college promoted an “anti-American” agenda. It eliminated tuition-assistance programs for qualifying service members and called for them to stop attending those schools.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was done sending department resources to institutions that taught “our enemy’s wicked ideologies” to personnel.

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