A Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against The University Of Alabama For Offering 'Race-Based Scholarships'

A lawsuit has been filed against the University of Alabama for offering race-based scholarships.

According to WDHN, the Equal Protection Project, a national organization focused on “fair treatment of all persons without regard to race or ethnicity,” filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in regards to the school’s Norton-Textra Endowed Scholarship for minority students in English writing, which is awarded to African-American students enrolled full-time.

The school received a letter on Feb. 14, 2025, from the Office for Civil Rights Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor that stated higher learning institutions “have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students.” The office issued a call to action to end race-based preferences and stereotypes.

“Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them — particularly during the last four years — under the banner of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (“DEI”), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline,” the letter said, according to the Alabama Reflector.

Currently and since April 26, the school’s scholarship page only lists eligibility requirements around enrollment, classification, and GPA to be considered for the awards.

“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release, per the Alabama Reflector.

The University of Alabama previously made several adjustments as a result of DEI pushbacks. After the state banned publicly funded DEI programs and the teaching of “divisive concepts,” the school was forced to shut down its Black Student Union and LGBTQ+ resource center in 2024.

Other schools are also facing scrutiny from conservative groups, while 45 are being flagged by the Office for Civil Rights for “race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”