BREAKING: WILL, YAF File Title VI Complaint Against UW-Madison Over "Race-Based Practices"

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty called for a "new and expanded federal investigation into UW-Madison’s discriminatory and illegal practices."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is facing a new Title VI complaint alleging continued race-based discrimination in its scholarship program, despite prior claims from university leadership that such practices had ended.

Filed on behalf of Young America’s Foundation (YAF), the complaint calls on the U.S. Department of Education to immediately open a formal investigation into the UW-Madison’s scholarship offering and to take action to eliminate programs that use race as an eligibility requirement.

The filing follows findings from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), which uncovered more than 60 race-based scholarships during the 2024-25 academic year. These scholarships explicitly excluded White or Asian students from eligibility. In response to WILL’s federal civil rights complaint, the Trump Administration opened an investigation into the university’s scholarship practices.

During a subsequent legislative hearing, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin testified that, “nobody is getting a scholarship from UW-Madison on the basis of the racial preference.” However, WILL says its continued review of the university’s scholarship listings contradicts this claim.

According to WILL, while the number of race-restricted scholarships has decreased, such programs have not been eliminated. At least 22 scholarships restricted by race remain available for the 2025-26 academic year, raising concerns about the university’s compliance with federal civil rights law.

WILL is now demanding an expanded federal investigation. WILL Vice President and Deputy Counsel Dan Lennington said, “UW-Madison is flouting federal law, and playing chicken with the Trump Administration. This won’t end well: a Title VI violation can result in the loss of federal funding, as other universities have discovered. We are calling for a new and explained investigation into all the discriminatory practices at UW-Madison.”

YAF at UW-Madison chairwoman Courtney Graves told The Madison Federalist, “Scholarships should be given out based on merit, not race. Racial preferences have no place in higher education.”

The organization argues that UW-Madison’s continued use of race-based criteria represents ongoing discrimination and a violation of federal law, prompting fresh calls for immediate oversight and enforcement action.

University spokesman John Lucas said in an emailed statement to The Madison Federalist, “UW-Madison has not been notified by OCR of this WILL complaint or the January 2025 WILL complaint regarding university scholarships, but we will cooperate with any review should OCR contact us.”

He continued, “UW-Madison has reviewed its scholarship distribution and implements a pool and match process for legal compliance.”

According to the Office of Student Financial Aid Website, “The amount and type of a student’s financial aid award is established based on neutral criteria such as need, merit, and geographical limitations and awarded in a manner that does not advantage or disadvantage a recipient because of any identity characteristic.”

This article was updated to include comment from Graves and Lucas.