The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to 60 higher education institutions on March 10 demanding they fulfill their responsibility to protect Jewish students on campus, according to a DOE press release .

Northwestern University and Illinois Wesleyan University are among the list of institutions warned of "potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities."

A press release says the 60 institutions are under investigation for Title VI violations relating to "antisemitic harassment and discrimination." Title VI prohibits any federally funded institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, color and national origin — including shared Jewish ancestry.

Northwestern University among original five institutions under DOE investigation

The department previously announced on Feb. 3 that it was launching investigations into five higher education institutions, including Northwestern University, "where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported."

Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for the department's Civil Rights Office, cited the universities' 2024 pro-Palestinian student encampments as evidence of the harassment in the press release. The release also referenced President Donald Trump's executive order, Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism , in which the president demanded colleges and universities "protect American Jews to the same extent to which all other American citizens are protected."

Story continues after photo gallery .

What colleges and universities received the Title VI letter from the DOE?