The letter from the Trump administration to Harvard University mandates significant changes to the university's admissions and hiring practices by August 2025. These changes aim to eliminate race-based preferences and ensure merit-based systems.
The letter demands the adoption of merit-based policies in hiring and admissions, ceasing all preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Comprehensive audits of data, including faculty, staff, and student information will be conducted by the federal government through 2028.
Reforms to international student recruitment and admissions are also requested. Harvard must implement measures to prevent admitting students deemed hostile to American values and institutions, with immediate reporting of conduct violations to federal authorities.
The university must commission an external audit to assess viewpoint diversity across its student body, faculty, staff, and leadership by August 2025. The goal is to ensure viewpoint diversity within each department, field, or teaching unit.
These demands represent a significant challenge to Harvard's existing policies and practices, potentially impacting future admissions and hiring decisions for many years.