UNC Agreement Ends Federal Civil Rights Inquiries

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reached an agreement with the federal government on October 19 that ends civil-rights investigations and imposes admissions and campus requirements through December 31, 2028. UNC will make no settlement payment and remains eligible for federal funding while it complies with the terms, which the university says do not constitute an admission of wrongdoing. The agreement directs the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to close 18 investigations and the Justice Department to end a separate compliance review. The inquiries will close without adverse findings, according to the terms described in the reports. One account characterizes the settlement as resolving 18 federal probes in total, while the others describe 18 Education Department investigations plus the separate Justice Department review. Under the admissions provisions, UNC cannot favor applicants based on race or use proxies for race. If applicants submit standardized test scores, the university must use them in all admissions decisions, consistent with UNC System policy. The agreement also applies nondiscrimination requirements to scholarships and other student...