The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on 20/7 that it is reviewing "financial aid programs originating from China" at Harvard University. The DOJ expressed concern that the university may be discriminating against American students in its scholarship allocation. The agency noted that this investigation is currently in a review phase, and it has not yet reached any conclusions.

According to the US Department of Justice, Harvard's public financial documents indicate that the university has received contributions from several Chinese donors with conditions specifying that the funds should prioritize foreign students, including those from China. Allocating financial aid based on nationality could violate federal civil rights laws in the US.

"Schools receiving federal funding cannot accept money from foreign sources for financial aid programs that intentionally exclude US citizens. This is illegal", stated Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

The Harvard University Business School campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in April 2025. Photo: Reuters

Harvard has stated it is reviewing the notice from the US Department of Justice. The university affirmed its full compliance with regulations regarding grant disclosures and asserted that it "does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, ethnicity, or national origin in financial aid allocation".

Liu Chuang, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, commented that educational cooperation between China and the US benefits both nations. He emphasized that political purposes should not interrupt normal educational and academic exchanges.

The US Department of Justice has requested Harvard to provide documents related to what it terms "restricted funds from China", along with information about the students who have received these scholarships.

Public records filed with the US government show that Harvard has received approximately 630 million USD from Chinese funding sources over decades, as part of a total of about 4.5 billion USD in foreign funding.

In 2014, Chinese entrepreneurs Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, co-founders of the real estate conglomerate SOHO China, donated 15 million USD to Harvard specifically to provide scholarships for Chinese students.

This investigation marks the latest in a series of inquiries initiated by the administration of President Donald Trump targeting prominent US universities over the past two years. The US Department of Justice has not named any specific donors or scholarship programs it is currently investigating.

The Trump administration also launched other investigations into Harvard concerning its admissions processes and the university's handling of allegations of anti-Semitism. Furthermore, US government agencies sought to restrict the university's ability to enroll international students and reduce its federal research funding.