University of Virginia agrees to follow federal guidance on DEI policies

The University of Virginia has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to follow federal guidance on admissions and hiring, putting Justice Department investigations into the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies on hold.

The deal comes after the Justice Department accused UVA and other universities nationwide of resisting White House directives to eliminate DEI initiatives on campus.

In its announcement on Oct 22, the Justice Department said the agreement will "protect UVA’s students, faculty, and employees from violations of federal civil rights laws, including from discrimination based on race, sex, or national origin."

The university told its community that the agreement "includes no monetary penalty and no external monitoring, and it affirms UVA’s academic freedom."

Under the terms, UVA will follow Justice Department guidance on discrimination for federally funded institutions and provide quarterly compliance data through 2028.

"If UVA completes its planned reforms prohibiting DEI at the university, the department will close its investigations against UVA," the Justice Department added.

“This notable agreement with the University of Virginia will protect students and faculty from unlawful discrimination, ensuring that equal opportunity and fairness are restored,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon said.

“We appreciate the progress that the university has made in combatting antisemitism and racial bias, and other American universities should be on alert that the Justice Department will ensure that our federal civil rights laws are enforced for every American, without exception,” Dhillon added.

University of Virginia interim President Paul Mahoney said the school will "continue our thorough review of our practices and policies to ensure that we are complying with all federal laws."

“We will also redouble our commitment to the principles of academic freedom, ideological diversity, free expression, and the unyielding pursuit of ‘truth, wherever it may lead,’ as Thomas Jefferson put it," Mahoney added.

Mahoney continued, "Through this process, we will do everything we can to assure our community, our partners in state and federal government, and the public that we are worthy of the trust they place in us and the resources they provide us to advance our education, research, and patient care mission.”

The agreement follows similar arrangements at other universities, including Brown University in Rhode Island and Columbia University in New York, as schools aim to maintain federal funding amid government probes.

Pressure from the Trump administration since April also contributed to the resignation of former UVA President James Ryan, who said he could not "make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job."