Case Particulars

Tribunal

Department of Education Office of Civil Rights

Date Filed

April 7, 2026

Docket No.

N/A

Case Status

Complaint Filed with OCR

Case Overview

On April 7, 2026, the Equal Protection Project filed a Civil Rights Complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights alleging violations of Title VI by the University in its offering of scholarships based upon race, color or national origin.

The Complaint states:

“We bring this civil rights complaint against Hamline University (“Hamline”), a private college, for discrimination regarding its Creative Writing Scholarship that is awarded based upon the race of the recipient. Additionally, we request an investigation of other race-based scholarships offered through the Hamline Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching. Scholarships that are awarded based upon the race, color, or national origin of the recipient violate Title VI.

 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits intentional discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in any “program or activity” that receives federal financial assistance. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000d. The term “program or activity” means “all of the operations … of a college, university, or other postsecondary institution, or a public system of higher education.” See 42 U.S.C. § 2000d-4a(2)(A); Rowles v. Curators of the Univ. of Mo., 983 F.3d 345, 355 (8th Cir. 2020) (“Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in federally funded programs,” and thus applies to universities receiving federal financial assistance). As Hamline receives federal funds, it is subject to Title VI.

 

In Richmond v. J. A. Croson Co., Justice Scalia aptly noted that “discrimination on the basis of race is illegal, immoral, unconstitutional, inherently wrong and destructive of a
democratic society.” 488 U.S. 469, 505 (1989) (citation omitted). This is true regardless of which race suffers – discrimination against white applicants is just as unlawful as discrimination against black or other non-white applicants. As Justice Thomas correctly noted in Students for Fair Admissions, race-based admissions preferences “fly in the face of our colorblind Constitution and our Nation’s equality ideal” and “are plainly – and boldly – unconstitutional.” 600 U.S. at 287 (Thomas, J., concurring). Because the discrimination outlined above is presumptively illegal, the fact that it conditions eligibility for the scholarship on race, color, and/or national origin, and/or sex, violates Title VI

Finally, the Complaint then requests that OCR take action:

The Office for Civil Rights has the power and obligation to investigate Hamline’s role in creating, funding, promoting and administering these scholarships to discern whether Hamline is engaging in such discrimination in its other activities – as well as the duty to impose whatever remedial relief is necessary to hold it accountable for this unlawful conduct. This includes, if necessary, imposing fines, initiating administrative proceedings to suspend or terminate federal financial assistance and referring the case to the Department of Justice for judicial proceedings to enforce the rights of the United States under federal law. After all, “[t]he way to stop discrimination … is to stop discriminating[.]” Parents Involved in Cmty. Sch. v. Seattle Sch. Dist. No. 1, 551 U.S. 701, 748 (2007).

Accordingly, we respectfully ask that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights promptly open a formal investigation, impose such remedial relief as the law permits for the benefit of those who have been illegally excluded from Hamline’s various scholarships and programs based on discriminatory criteria, and ensure that all ongoing and future scholarships and programming at Hamline comports with the federal civil rights laws.

 

OCR is evaluating EPP’s Complaint for further action.