Topline
Harvard faces potential suspension or debarment from receiving federal funds through the Department of Health and Human Services after HHS escalated its civil rights case, accusing the university of ignoring antisemetic harassment against Jewish and Israeli students.
People walk through a gate as they exit Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachussetts, on April 15, 2025. Elite US university Harvard was hit with a $2.2 billion federal funding freeze on April 14 after rejecting a list of sweeping demands that the White House said was intended to crack down on campus anti-Semitism. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
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Key Facts
The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Monday formally referred Harvard University to HHS’ suspension and debarment office.
This follows a violation notice from June 30, saying Harvard has acted with “deliberate indifference” to antisemetic harassment since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Notice of Violation described Harvard’s campus climate as having “pervasive, persistent, and effectively unpunished” discrimination.
A Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias surveyed 2,000 students and found that “almost 60% of Jewish students reported experiencing ‘discrimination, stereotyping, or negative bias on campus due to [their] views on campus’, 44% of Jewish students felt mentally unsafe at Harvard, and 26% of Jewish students felt physically unsafe on campus.”
Suspension would temporarily cut off federal funds, while debarment could block Harvard from government contracts and grants nationwide.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights has invoked Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, a law that bars federally funded schools from discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
What To Watch For
Harvard has 20 days to request a formal hearing before an administrative law judge.
Big Number
Harvard is a recipient of over $794 million in HHS federal financial assistance for the fiscal year of 2023 to the fiscal year of 2025.
Key Background
Harvard’s standoff with the Trump administration follows a year of mounting political pressure. Harvard president Claudine Gay stepped down after a high-profile congressional hearing on campus antisemitism, prompting many billionaire donors like Ken Griffin and Leslie Wexner to freeze or cut ties. The university has been involved in a string of lawsuits connected to the issue, most notably against the Trump administration to block the freeze of more than $2.2 billion in federal grants that the government revoked amid its accusations of antisemitism.
Crucial Quote
“OCR has notified Harvard of its right to a formal administrative hearing, where an HHS administrative law judge will make an impartial determination on whether Harvard violated Title VI by acting with deliberate indifference towards antisemitic student-on-student harassment,” said Paula M. Stannard, OCR director.
Tangent
A separate OCR probe is ongoing into alleged race-based discrimination at the Harvard Law Review.
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