The US Justice Department said on Monday it launched an investigation reviewing whether some Harvard University financial aid programmes were discriminatory, marking the latest fight against the university by Donald Trump’s administration.

“The Justice ‌Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today it is opening a compliance review into Harvard University to determine whether its China-based financial aid programmes and practices exclude American-citizen students,” the department said in a statement.

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League university has previously said it ⁠does not allow discriminatory policies.

It has also previously cast Trump administration investigations as “retaliatory ‌actions against Harvard for its refusal to surrender our independence and constitutional rights”.

A deal to resolve the Trump administration’s broader investigations against Harvard ‌remains elusive.

Demonstrators gather on Cambridge Common to protest against Harvard’s stance on the war in Gaza and show support for the Palestinian people, outside Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in April 2025. Photo: AFP

The Trump administration has targeted Harvard and other top universities with ⁠investigations and federal ⁠funding suspension threats over a range of issues.