University of Virginia strikes deal to pause Trump administration investigations
Oct 22, 2025, 1:25 PM | Updated: 3:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday announced an agreement with the University of Virginia to pause Trump administration civil rights investigations.
The Charlottesville campus became a target of President Donald Trump’s administration in April when the Justice Department began reviewing the university’s admissions and financial aid processes. Officials accused its president of failing to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices Trump has called unlawful.
The mounting pressure prompted James Ryan to announce his resignation as university president in June, saying the stakes were too high for others on campus if he opted to “fight the federal government in order to save my job.”
Under the agreement, the university will abide by department guidance for not engaging in “unlawful racial discrimination” and will provide relevant information and data to the department on a quarterly basis through 2028, the department said.
Virginia’s settlement follows other agreements signed by Columbia and Brown universities to end federal investigations and restore access to federal funding. Columbia paid $200 million to the government, and Brown paid $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations.
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