(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.