UVA Signs Compliance Deal With DOJ

The University of Virginia reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to pause federal civil‑rights investigations into its admissions, hiring and campus programming. Under the deal UVA agreed to follow the DOJ’s Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding — reflecting 2023 Supreme Court limits on explicit consideration of race — and to submit quarterly compliance data through 2028; in return the DOJ will halt its probes. The agreement carries no monetary penalty or external monitors, and university leaders say it preserves academic freedom and access to federal research funding. The accord follows months of pressure that contributed to former president James E. Ryan’s resignation in June and makes UVA the first public university to sign a broad compliance agreement under this administration. Critics contend the deal expands federal power and could curtail campus DEI programs, while the administration says it is enforcing federal civil‑rights law.