Trump’s DEI Crackdown Leads To University Of Michigan Ending Minority Scholarship Program

The University of Michigan Alumni Association has abruptly ended its LEAD scholarship program, which was designed to support underrepresented minority students. The decision comes amid rising pressure from the Trump administration targeting diversity efforts in higher education.

“After careful consideration, the Alumni Association made the decision to discontinue the LEAD Scholars program to ensure it is complying with federal and state laws as well as recent guidance from the federal government,” the program’s website stated. Though difficult, the university emphasized that the move “does not reflect on the success of the LEAD Scholars program or the hard work of the nearly 900 students the program supported over the years.”

Launched in 2008 following Michigan’s Proposal 2—an affirmative action ban passed in 2006—the LEAD program offered scholarships of $5,000 to $15,000 annually, renewable for four years. To qualify, students needed a 3.5 GPA, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, and admission to the university. The program aimed to reverse the decline in Black student enrollment and increase opportunities for underrepresented minorities.

In the 2024-25 academic year alone, approximately 300 students benefited from the program, which has supported nearly 900 since its inception. “The decision does not impact payments already disbursed this semester,” the website clarified, and current scholars will be connected with alternate resources and support.

Although the university has not directly linked the LEAD program’s termination to ongoing investigations, its decision follows a broader federal probe. The Department of Education is currently investigating UM for “allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs,” though LEAD itself was strictly for undergraduates.

This action aligns with federal guidance issued last month, warning institutions to cease using “racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities,” threatening the loss of federal funding for noncompliance.

Despite being barred from race-based admissions since 2006, and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision further curbing affirmative action, UM has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to campus diversity. However, with federal scrutiny intensifying, even race-neutral diversity programs like LEAD are now vulnerable to dismantling.

Link: MLive