UNC-Chapel Hill settles federal civil rights probes with Justice, Education departments

As of 6:39 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has reached a voluntary settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Education Department that closes 18 civil rights investigations by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and a Justice Department compliance review, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The Justice Department described the deal as a university-wide settlement agreement "to end antisemitism and race discrimination" at UNC. The agreement itself states that it "is not an admission in whole or in part by either party" and that UNC "expressly denies liability" over the subject matter of the investigations.

"Title VI requires that all students — regardless of their ancestry or race — receive equal treatment under the law at federally funded colleges and universities," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in the department's release. "Higher ed policies and practices that tolerate antisemitism or favor certain racial groups over others, frustrate our color-blind justice system. The Civil Rights Division commends UNC for its cooperation in meeting its obligations under federal law without the need for litigation; we hope other institutions will take note and do the same."

"Today's agreement with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is an important step in upholding civil rights laws and restoring the American people's confidence in higher education," said Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. "Because of today's agreement with UNC, aspiring students will be assessed based solely on their merit — not race — and Jewish students can thrive without the threat of antisemitic discrimination."

"This announcement reinforces our commitment to the fair and equal treatment of everyone at Carolina," UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts said in a university statement. "For at least a decade, through different presidential administrations, U.S. universities have faced heightened public scrutiny across a range of issues. We're proud to resolve those issues at Carolina in a way that protects our mission and affirms the civil rights of everyone in our community." The university said the investigations involved matters dating to 2019 and spanned the Biden and Trump administrations.

Under the agreement, UNC must adopt and maintain "non-discriminatory and color-blind" admissions decisions and policies, may not use race or analyze racial data in admissions, and may not use any "Racial Proxy," which the agreement defines as an applicant characteristic used with the intent to affect the racial makeup of the student body. The university may still consider how applicants overcame adversity and aspects of family background such as poverty, so long as those factors are not used to prefer applicants by race, color or national origin. UNC must also use standardized test scores in admissions decisions when applicants submit them.

The agreement requires "wholly race-blind" policies on student benefits and says scholarship criteria "will not include diversity or identification with or membership in any 'underrepresented' populations" to the extent that term refers to race, color or national origin.

On antisemitism, UNC must create a Title VI Coordinator position, provide mandatory antisemitism training for all students, faculty and staff, and deploy additional law enforcement resources "when events or other factors warrant" to protect Jewish and Israeli students. The agreement requires UNC to prohibit face masks or coverings that conceal a person's identity, with exceptions for religious and medical needs, celebrations such as Halloween and other limited contexts, and anyone wearing one must show identification when asked by an authorized university official or police officer. Student groups may be disciplined for antisemitic discriminatory conduct, including by defunding, suspension or loss of recognition.

The chancellor must select a "Merit & Civil Rights Administrator" within 30 days of the agreement's effective date to carry it out. UNC said Elizabeth Hall, associate vice chancellor for university compliance, will serve as that administrator. The university said Hall would also serve as Title VI coordinator, Reuters reported. Within 90 days, and quarterly after that, UNC must report to the education secretary and the assistant attorney general on complaints alleging discrimination or harassment based on race, color, national origin or shared Jewish or Israeli ancestry. The first report must cover complaints received since Oct. 7, 2023, and the chancellor must certify each quarterly report under penalty of perjury. The agreement runs until Dec. 31, 2028.

The agreement includes no settlement payment by UNC, and the university said it is not required to make a monetary settlement payment. It does require UNC to fund the administrator's work and to bear the costs, if any, of a mediator if a dispute over compliance goes to mediation. The government agreed to close the 18 investigations and the compliance review "without adverse action or adverse finding" and to hold in abeyance all other investigations, enforcement actions, grant terminations and monetary fines under Title VI relating to actions alleged to have taken place before the agreement took effect. UNC remains eligible for federal grants, contracts and awards as long as the government finds it is upholding the terms, according to the agreement.

The agreement says the United States "disclaims any aim of dictating the content of academic speech or curricula." Any enforcement action must be brought in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

In 2025, Columbia University agreed to pay more than $200 million to resolve federal probes, and Brown University said it would pay $50 million to support local workforce development under a settlement, Reuters reported. Harvard has not reached a deal, according to Reuters.