On April 9, 2025, Defending Education (DE) filed a complaint against the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. DE claims UW–Madison is breaking Title VI, a law that bans race discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. DE also claims the university is violating the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, which bars government bodies, including public schools, from treating people differently because of their race.
UW–Madison’s Lawton Grant gives out scholarships of $1,000 to $3,300 a year to help students stay in school and take on less debt. But it is only for “statutorily designated minority” students from Wisconsin. To qualify, a student must identify as African American, Latino, Native American, or Southeast Asian of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, or Hmong descent. Students must also show financial need, keep at least a 2.0 GPA, and study full time. Every one of UW–Madison’s schools and colleges takes part in the grant.
In other words, a student from Wisconsin with the same financial need and the same grades can be denied this aid because of their race. That breaks Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause. As the Supreme Court said in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023), “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
Defending Education urges the Department to investigate every claim in its complaint, fix UW–Madison’s illegal policies and practices, and order the right remedies.
Read the full complaint below:
