Members of Congress announced the probe for alleged collusion in raising tuition rates and discrimination in financial aid decisions.
On Thursday, Republican members of Congress announced an investigation into the University of Pennsylvania’s alleged collusion in raising tuition rates and discrimination in financial aid decisions. The other seven Ivy League private universities are also being investigated.
Since taking office, President Trump has targeted universities that have failed to discourage antisemitism on their campuses.
In March, the administration withheld $175 million in funding to Penn for allowing Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete, to participate in women’s swimming in 2022. Another $175 million was lost when the university received stop-work orders on federally funded research.
On April 8, Penn president Larry Jameson was issued a letter asking him to provide documents and communications from the beginning of 2019 to the present and deliver them to the Congressional investigators by close of business on April 22nd.
Representatives Jim Jordan and Scott Fitzgerald signed the letter. Senators Charles Grassley and Mike Lee signed it as well.
“We are particularly concerned that Ivy League member institutions appear to collectively raise tuition prices while engaging in price discrimination by offering selective financial aid packages to maximize profit,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
“We have received the letter and are carefully reviewing it. We will cooperate with their information requests,” said a spokesperson for Penn.
The university has lost 35% of its federal funding since President Trump took office and began targeting universities for their DEI policies and antisemitic demonstrations on campuses.
In the lawsuit against Penn and 16 other private institutions, Penn and five of the others have yet to settle. If they lose the antitrust lawsuit, the remaining defendants could be responsible for approximately $2 billion in damages.
