Washington DC - The Department of Education opened an investigation on Friday into dozens of universities over diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that President Donald Trump alleges discriminate against white students.

"The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

"Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin," McMahon said.

The 45 universities being investigated for "allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices" include prestigious Ivy League schools Cornell and Yale and other leading academic institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, and the University of California-Berkeley.

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The Department of Education said the schools may have violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act by partnering with The PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps members of minority groups obtain doctoral degrees.

The PhD Project "purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a PhD and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants," it said.

In addition to the probe into the 45 universities, the Department of Education said it had opened an investigation into another seven schools over "alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation."

The Department of Education sent a letter to schools around the country last month stating that it "will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation's educational institutions."

"The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent," it said.

The Department of Education, earlier this week, said it had opened an investigation into 60 colleges and universities for alleged "antisemitic harassment and discrimination."

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The Trump administration cut $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University last week, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment as protesters rallied against Israel's assault on Gaza.

In one of his first moves after taking office, Trump ended diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government that are intended to redress historical inequality but that he claims disadvantage white people, particularly men.