UVA Strikes First Deal of Its Kind With Trump Administration

Facing intense White House scrutiny, the University of Virginia has reached a deal with the Trump administration that pauses federal investigations into its admissions policies, marking the first such agreement between a public university and the current administration. The Justice Department announced the deal on Wednesday, describing it as a way to ensure compliance with a Supreme Court ruling that restricted the use of race in college admissions, reports the New York Times.

• UVA's agreement avoids the hefty fines imposed on some Ivy League schools and is seen internally as a relative win for the university. "I believe strongly that this agreement represents the best available path forward," UVA's interim president, wrote in a Wednesday letter to the university community.

• The agreement was shaped in part by the June resignation of James Ryan, whom administration officials saw as resistant to their agenda, per the Times. Ryan was reportedly the first college president ousted due to federal pressure.
• Under the deal, UVA will follow the administration's interpretation of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision barring explicit race consideration in admissions, so long as it aligns with judicial precedent. The university will submit quarterly compliance updates to the Justice Department but won't be subject to an independent monitor. In exchange, ongoing federal investigations into the university's admissions and civil rights practices will be paused.
• The Trump administration has argued that admissions policies at elite universities discriminate against white and Asian students. The government has already extracted billions in penalties from other schools, though it hasn't yet reached a resolution with Harvard, its biggest target.
• The AP reports there is one federal investigation into UVA that isn't included in the deal, involving the Education Department's inclusion of the school on a list of dozens of universities being looked into for alleged antisemitism. Due to the current government shutdown, a rep from the agency wasn't able to confirm if that investigation remains open.