The US Department of Justice has opened a review into whether Harvard University accepted foreign donations, particularly from Chinese donors, that unfairly favoured international students over American applicants in the awarding of financial aid. The probe centres on concerns that some donors attached nationality-based conditions to their funding, potentially breaching anti-discrimination principles and disadvantaging domestic students seeking assistance.

Announced on Monday, the DOJ said Harvard's foreign-funding disclosures had raised red flags about donor-imposed restrictions tied to nationality. Officials are now examining whether these funding arrangements amount to unlawful discrimination against American students. The move adds to mounting scrutiny of Harvard's practices, coming amid a wider wave of federal challenges to elite universities' admissions and funding policies, including separate allegations against other institutions over race-based preferences.