Case Particulars

Tribunal

Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

Date Filed

July 30, 2026

Docket No.

N/A

Case Status

OCR Complaint Filed

Case Overview

On July 30, 2026, the Equal Protection Project (EPP) filed a Civil Rights Complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against Wright State University (“WSU”) regarding two scholarships which discriminate based on sex in violation of Title IX.

EPP’s Complaint states:

We bring this civil rights complaint against Wright State University (“WSU”) located in the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio, for offering, administering, and promoting two (2) scholarships that discriminate on the basis of sex in violation of Title IX.

The Complaint uses WSU’s own websites to demonstrate the discriminatory nature of this program.

Next, the Complaint further explains why the program violates federal law:

The scholarships identified above violate Title IX by discriminating on the basis of sex.

Title IX provides that:

 

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a).

 

The statute broadly prohibits discrimination in federally funded educational programs and is not limited to admissions decisions or other major institutional policies. As the Supreme Court has recognized, Title IX was enacted with “a sweep as broad as its language.” North Haven Bd. of Educ. v. Bell, 456 U.S. 512, 521 (1982).

 

OCR’s implementing regulations likewise prohibit recipients from discriminating on the basis of sex in the administration of financial assistance. Under 34 C.F.R. § 106.37(a), a recipient may not provide scholarships, fellowships, or other financial assistance “in a manner which discriminates on the basis of sex,” except in narrow circumstances not applicable here.

 

Accordingly, institutions receiving federal funds must administer scholarship programs through nondiscriminatory eligibility criteria and selection procedures. Here, the challenged scholarships expressly limit eligibility to female students. WSU therefore excludes otherwise qualified male students solely because of their sex. A male student who satisfies every academic, financial, and programmatic qualification remains ineligible because he is male. That is precisely the type of discrimination Title IX prohibits.

 

Finally, the Complaint then requests that OCR take action:

Title IX guarantees that “[n]o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). Congress enacted Title IX to ensure that educational opportunities and benefits funded by the federal government are made available without regard to sex. Educational institutions receiving federal funds therefore may not offer or administer scholarships that categorically exclude otherwise qualified students because they are male or female.

 

The Office for Civil Rights has both the authority and the responsibility to investigate WSU’s role in creating, funding, promoting, and administering these scholarships and to impose whatever remedial relief is necessary to bring the University into compliance with Title IX. This includes, if necessary, initiating administrative proceedings to suspend or terminate federal financial assistance or referring the matter to the Department of Justice for judicial enforcement.
The unlawful discrimination identified in this complaint is straightforward: WSU expressly conditions eligibility for these scholarships on the applicant’s sex, thereby denying otherwise qualified students the opportunity to compete for financial assistance solely because they are male.

 

Accordingly, we respectfully request that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights promptly open a formal investigation, require WSU to eliminate the unlawful sex-based eligibility requirements for these scholarships, provide appropriate relief to individuals excluded on the basis of sex, and ensure that all ongoing and future scholarships and financial aid programs at WSU comply with Title IX and its implementing regulations.

OCR is evaluating EPP’s Complaint for further action.