The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has reached a voluntary settlement with the Trump administration that will close 18 active federal investigations and a separate Justice Department compliance review. The agreement, which remains effective until the end of 2028, allows the university to maintain its eligibility for federal funding without requiring a monetary payment or an admission of wrongdoing.
Under the terms of the deal, UNC will appoint an internal "Merit & Civil Rights Administrator" and establish a "Title VI Coordinator" position within its compliance office. Elizabeth Hall, the associate vice chancellor for university compliance, has been named to serve in both roles in addition to her existing duties. She will act as the point of contact for the Justice Department and oversee the university's reporting obligations.
UNC Chancellor Lee H. Roberts stated that the announcement reinforces the university's commitment to the fair and equal treatment of everyone at Carolina. Roberts noted that U.S. universities have faced heightened public scrutiny across a range of issues for at least a decade, adding that the university is proud to resolve these matters in a way that protects its mission and affirms civil rights.
The agreement mandates that UNC provide antisemitism training to students, faculty, and staff. It also requires the university to prohibit face masks used to conceal an individual's identity, subject to certain exceptions. The settlement states that student groups shall be subject to discipline for antisemitic discriminatory conduct.
A central component of the settlement is the adoption of what the Justice Department described as a "color-blind admissions system." This bars UNC from using race or altering its admissions process to change the racial composition of its student body. However, the agreement permits the university to consider how applicants overcame adversity at a personal level, including aspects of family background such as poverty, provided these considerations are applied consistently. UNC must also maintain race-blind policies governing student benefits, scholarships, financial aid, and programming.
The university is required to send any complaints regarding antisemitism and race discrimination to the Department of Justice and the Department of Education on a quarterly basis. In return, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights will close 18 active investigations, while the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division will close a separate 18-month compliance review that was opened in April 2025.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement that Title VI requires all students to receive equal treatment under the law at federally funded colleges and universities, regardless of ancestry or race. Dhillon stated that policies tolerating antisemitism or favoring certain racial groups frustrate the color-blind justice system, and she commended UNC for meeting its federal obligations without litigation.
This settlement comes after the Supreme Court struck down race-based admissions programs at UNC and Harvard in 2023. The Trump administration has targeted universities across the country with probes and threats to withdraw federal funding in response to pro-Palestinian protests, diversity initiatives, and transgender policies. Other institutions have also reached agreements with the federal government; Columbia University agreed last year to pay more than $200 million to resolve federal probes, while Brown University agreed to provide $50 million over 10 years to Rhode Island workforce-development organizations. Harvard University, a primary target of administration threats, has not yet made a deal.