This story was reported and written by our media partner the Virginia Mercury.
After months of review, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to suspend its five federal civil rights investigations against the University of Virginia, provided the institution complies, with no financial penalty.
The Justice Department initiated its investigation of the institution in the spring due to its concerns that UVA was violating federal civil rights laws in its admissions, hiring, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and that its campus culture was inhospitable to Jewish students; the school refuted all these allegations. The investigations ultimately led to the resignation of Paul Ryan as president of UVA.
The announcement by the DOJ comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders focused on reforming universities to align with his administration’s views. Trump and top aides have also claimed that many universities have embraced liberal agendas and are too politicized.
As part of the agreement, UVA agreed to comply with civil rights laws, use the DOJ’s latest guidance when applicable and provide quarterly reports to the government on its compliance efforts.
If the DOJ determines that UVA is making “insufficient progress“ toward compliance, the institution will have 15 days to address the issues before the agreement is terminated and investigations resume.
“This notable agreement with the University of Virginia will protect students and faculty from unlawful discrimination, ensuring that equal opportunity and fairness are restored,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement on Wednesday. Dhillon added that the university has made progress in “combating antisemitism and racial bias,” and warned other schools to “be on alert” that the department would enforce federal civil rights laws.
UVA Interim President Paul Mahoney wrote in a statement to the institution’s community that he signed the agreement because he believed it to be the best available path forward.
“We intend to continue our thorough review of our practices and policies to ensure that we are complying with all federal laws,” Mahoney said. He added that UVA will also “redouble our commitment to the principles of academic freedom, ideological diversity, free expression, and the unyielding pursuit of ‘truth, wherever it may lead,’ as Thomas Jefferson put it.”
Across the country, the federal agency has challenged other institutions including Harvard University and the University of California on claims that they violated federal civil rights, specifically concerning Title IX compliance, affirmative action, and disability accommodation. Many of the cases have ultimately gone to court, threatening the loss of federal funds.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, posted on X that UVA’s “surrender” poses “significant constitutional problems and represents a huge expansion of federal power that Republicans … would have never tolerated in the past – we have the right to run our universities.”
Thursday morning, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the agreement a “common sense” and “fair deal.”
As part of the agreement, Mahoney said UVA acknowledges its obligation to follow civil rights laws and that the federal government accepts UVA’s work as demonstrating full compliance, thereby suspending the investigations. The DOJ will close the remaining investigations if UVA maintains compliance with the agreement, which is effective through Dec. 31, 2028.
UVA will still be eligible for future grants, contracts and awards, and none of its grants will be terminated.
The agreement doesn’t equate to an admission of wrongdoing by either the DOJ or the school and UVA “expressly denies liability with respect to the subject matter of the Investigations,” the documents reads.
“Through this process, we will do everything we can to assure our community, our partners in state and federal government, and the public that we are worthy of the trust they place in us and the resources they provide us to advance our education, research, and patient care mission,” Mahoney said.
This agreement comes days after UVA rejected an offer from President Donald Trump‘s administration to sign a compact granting federal funding and privileges in exchange for the school’s support of the administration’s policies.
In a letter about the decision, Mahoney wrote that accepting an offer based on “anything other than merit will undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving, research and further erode confidence in American higher education.”