Loyola Suspends Scholarship After DOJ Alleges Racial Discrimination

The Department of Justice announced April 11 it had threatened to file suit against the state of Illinois and six universities — including Loyola — over a scholarship which supports minority students pursuing graduate and medical degrees. Following the threat, multiple universities and the Illinois Board of Higher Education suspended the scholarship.

The schools who suspended the scholarship included Loyola, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, according to a DOJ press release. The Department alleged the scholarship program unconstitutionally discriminated on the basis of race by using race as a prerequisite to apply.

Spokespeople for Loyola didn’t respond to requests for comment. As of publication, none of the universities who were to be included in the DOJ suit have released information regarding the case or the programs affected.

Third-year criminal justice and criminology major Valeria Soto said she benefits from a DEI scholarship designed to provide debt-free higher education to students from select Chicago Public Schools high schools.

As the scholarship program is aimed toward supporting underrepresented students from areas who have historically faced educational disparities, Soto said she thinks the decision is bound to target all minorities somehow. 

“The program is basically all minorities, so I think the scholarship I have now could be affected,” Soto said. 

By targeting scholarships catering to minority groups, Soto said officials are displacing students whose awards are vital for both their life and career paths. 

“Everyone is just trying to get a career and better their education, and they’re attacking scholarships that are giving that opportunity to students,” Soto said. 

Annie Koshy, a first-year biomedical engineering major, said the Department of Justice’s  decision made things unpredictable for future students who rely on minority-focused scholarships. She said she felt many wouldn’t attend Loyola without this kind of aid.

“It’s like we should do something, but I don’t know if students could really do anything,” Koshy said.

This is a developing story. The article will be updated with new information as it becomes available.