The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday, October 19, struck a deal with the Trump administration to end federal investigations into its handling of alleged campus antisemitism and civil rights violations, Higher Ed Dive reported. Under the voluntary agreement with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, the administration will close 18 active Title VI investigations from the Education Department, dating back to 2019 and spanning the Biden and Trump administrations according to the university, as well as a Justice Department civil-rights compliance review of the university's admissions that had run for 18 months since April 2025. Title VI bars institutions that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, colour or national origin.

Unlike most of the deals the Trump administration has struck with colleges, UNC-Chapel Hill will not pay a monetary settlement, and it did not admit wrongdoing or liability, according to Higher Ed Dive and Inside Higher Ed. The university's access to federal funds will continue, and the federal government said it does not intend to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula at the university. The agreement is in effect through December 31, 2028, and is the seventh settlement the administration has struck with a college, Higher Ed Dive reported.

In return, UNC-Chapel Hill must, within 90 days, share all complaints of alleged Title VI violations against students and employees, along with the university's response, from October 7, 2023 to October 19, 2026, and then make quarterly reports to the Justice Department through December 2028. Where possible, it must eliminate opportunities for admissions officials to learn an applicant's race or other federally protected characteristics; end and prohibit partnerships with recruitment programmes that seek to serve as a "bridge" or "pipeline" for students based on any protected characteristic; ensure scholarships, affinity groups, student centres, graduation ceremonies and other programming do not unlawfully segregate, exclude, limit, disadvantage or discriminate against any participant; and ban programmes that seek diversity targets or "race-based outcomes." The university may still consider how applicants overcame adversity on a personal level, and facets of family background such as poverty, so long as those considerations are not used deceptively to advantage applicants based on protected characteristics. The deal also bars people from wearing masks to conceal their identities on campus, with reasonable exceptions, and requires anyone wearing a mask to provide identification when asked by university officials.

UNC-Chapel Hill must appoint a "Merit & Civil Rights Administrator" to enforce the terms, and the university said Elizabeth Hall, its associate vice chancellor for university compliance, will fill the role while staying in her current position; the university expects implementation costs to be "consistent with ordinary operating expenses" because it has already taken many of the mandated steps, according to its FAQ reported by Higher Ed Dive. If the administration determines the university has violated the deal, UNC will have 15 days to get back on course before it must enter a formal mediated settlement at its own expense. Chancellor Lee H. Roberts said the deal "reinforces our commitment to the fair and equal treatment of everyone at Carolina," adding: "We're proud to resolve those issues at Carolina in a way that protects our mission and affirms the civil rights of everyone in our community." Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said: "The Civil Rights Division commends UNC for its cooperation in meeting its obligations under federal law without the need for litigation; we hope other institutions will take note and do the same." UNC-Chapel Hill, which accepts about 17% of applicants, was with Harvard University a defendant in the landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious admissions. Sources: Higher Ed Dive; Inside Higher Ed; NC Business Desk.