The Education Department is investigating Harvard University’s use of legacy admissions following a complaint from advocacy groups alleging that the practice violates federal civil rights law.
In a letter Monday, the department notified an attorney for Lawyers for Civil Rights, which filed the complaint against Harvard earlier this month, that it had opened a probe into the school’s admissions process.
An Education Department spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that its Office for Civil Rights is investigating Harvard for possible violations of Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act, but declined to provide additional comment.
“We do not comment on open investigations,” the spokesperson said.
The probe comes after a 31-page complaint, filed July 3 by advocacy groups including Greater Boston Latino Network, argued legacy admissions at Harvard systematically disadvantage applicants of color and contradict the university’s stated commitment to campus diversity.
The complaint argues that the need to end so-called legacy admissions — the practice of giving preferential treatment to the children or relatives of alumni in college or university admissions — at Harvard is particularly acute after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action programs at two U.S. universities, ending the systematic consideration of race in the admissions process.
In the court filing, the advocacy groups asked the Education Department to declare that Harvard must end the practice if it is to continue receiving federal funds, and argued that legacy admissions “are not justified by any educational necessity.”
“Harvard cannot show that the use of these preferences is necessary to achieve any important educational goal,” the filing said. “To the contrary, the preferential treatment is conferred without regard to the applicant’s credentials or merits — the benefit is derived simply from being born into a particular family.”