On September 30th, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice initiated an investigation into the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) to determine whether the institution has engaged in discrimination based on race or nationality, depriving students of their equal rights, thereby potentially violating Title IV and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Assistant Attorney General at the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet K. Dhillon, stated, “Public universities cannot discriminate based on race, nationality, or religious beliefs.” The Department of Justice is committed to overseeing higher education institutions to ensure that every student has the legal right to equal educational opportunities and access.
This compliance investigation will examine UNLV as a federally funded institution and whether there are practices of discrimination against students based on race, color, or nationality.
The investigation is conducted in accordance with Title IV and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Title IV authorizes the Department of Justice to address violations of the “Equal Protection Clause” by public universities; while Title VI prohibits any federally funded institution from engaging in such discriminatory practices.
According to the regulations of Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, higher education institutions are required to ensure that students are not subjected to discrimination and have equal access to campus educational environments and opportunities. The focus of this investigation is on whether the university’s response to on-campus anti-Semitic incidents involved discrimination.
Several American universities have faced similar investigations:
On August 20, 2025, the Office for Civil Rights under the Department of Education launched an investigation under Title VI against Haverford College, alleging that the institution “tolerated harassment of Jews on campus,” which was not properly handled according to the law.
On March 10, 2025, the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education issued warning letters to 60 universities suspected of discrimination and harassment against Jewish individuals. These schools were cautioned that failure to uphold the obligations outlined in the Civil Rights Act Title VI to protect the rights of Jewish students on campus could lead to enforcement actions.
Among these universities, Columbia University has been repeatedly criticized for inadequate responses to on-campus anti-Semitic discrimination or harassment, leading to investigations by various agencies including the Office for Civil Rights, the Department of Education, and the Department of Justice.
Harvard University is also among the 60 universities, receiving letters from the Office for Civil Rights requesting responses regarding the safety and discrimination issues faced by Jewish and Israeli students on campus. Lawsuits or settlements have been filed against them regarding Title VI.
The list of these universities includes many prominent American institutions such as Cornell University, Brown University, Northwestern University, Indiana University – Bloomington, California State University Sacramento, Wellesley College, among others.
Smaller institutions like Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Middlebury College are also on the monitoring list.
It is important to note that receiving warning letters does not necessarily mean formal charges or confirmed violations. Some schools are undergoing investigations by the Office for Civil Rights, while others are being monitored by the Department of Education to assess changes or responses.
The scope and severity of these investigations vary, from harassment on campus to examining discriminatory policies towards Israeli students, and the effectiveness of security and anti-harassment mechanisms.
University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) was not previously included in this list of 60 universities under scrutiny.