Education Department launches probe into foreign-born student scholarships

• The investigations will determine if the scholarship requirements violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's prohibition against discrimination based on national origin.
• The five schools under investigation are the University of Louisville, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Miami, University of Michigan and Western Michigan University.
• The probe will also investigate scholarships designed to include students based on other aspects of Title VI, including their race and color.

What they're saying: "Protecting equal access to education includes protecting the rights of American-born students," said William A. Jacobson, founder of the group that submitted complaints to the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. "Discrimination against American-born students must not be tolerated."

• University of Michigan spokesperson Kay Jarvis confirmed the school had been notified of the investigation but offered no further comment.
• The other four schools mentioned in the complaint did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The intrigue: Undocumented students are not eligible for federal student aid but can still be eligible for school-specific aid, state aid and private scholarships, according to the Federal Student Aid Office.

Zoom out: The Education Department has tossed out at least 3,400 civil rights complaints since hundreds of employees in the department's civil rights division were laid off in March.

• The White House Office of Management and Budget previously claimed the Office of Civil Rights would clear its "massive backlog" of cases despite reducing the number of offices that investigate these allegations, Axios' April Rubin previously reported.
• OMB officials said the changes reflect an "overall smaller Federal role in K-12 and postsecondary education."

Go deeper: Education Department tossed 3,400 civil rights complaints since mass layoff