Harvard faces federal civil rights probe over legacy admissions

FILE PHOTO: Students and pedestrians walk through the Yard at Harvard University, after the school asked its students not to return to campus after Spring Break and said it would move to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

(Reuters) -The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether Harvard racially discriminates by favoring applicants with ties to donors and alumni in its admissions process, according to a letter from the agency.

The probe comes in response to a complaint filed on July 3 by three civil rights groups, who argued that Harvard College's preference for "legacy" undergraduate applicants overwhelmingly benefits white students, violating a law that bans race discrimination for programs receiving federal funds, as do virtually all U.S. colleges and universities.