The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Harvard on Thursday in its investigation into whether Ivy League universities have coordinated their pricing, turning up pressure on a school already in an all-out battle with the Trump administration.
In the subpoena letter, Representatives Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Scott Fitzgerald, a Wisconsin Republican who leads a key subcommittee, demanded documents and communications about the university’s tuition and financial aid by July 17. They said they were issuing the subpoena after Harvard’s response to an earlier request for information was “inadequate” and “substantively deficient,” with much of the material that was turned over already publicly available.
Harvard disputed the committee’s assessment.
“We are disappointed that the committee has chosen to issue a subpoena and believe it is unwarranted, unfair and unnecessary,” said Jason Newton, a Harvard spokesman. He added that the university “has produced thousands of pages of documents regarding our tuition setting process and financial aid program.”
The subpoena threatened to break open yet another front in what has become a sprawling legal battle between Harvard and Republicans in Washington. The Trump administration has sought to punish the university for not acceding to its demands as President Trump pushes to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system.
The university has been the target of investigations from at least six federal agencies, and the administration has already tried to cut off billions of dollars in federal funding and block international students from attending Harvard, among other measures. Courts have halted many of the Trump administration’s actions, and the university has become a symbol of resistance for not bowing to Mr. Trump. But Harvard officials have concluded their legal victories alone may not be enough to protect the university and are debating whether they might be able to reach a deal with the administration.
The House Judiciary Committee had originally sought information in a letter to Harvard on April 8, alleging that Ivy League schools were “collectively raising tuition prices” in breach of antitrust laws and were “engaging in perfect price discrimination by offering selective financial aid packages to maximize profits.” The committee requested a large swath of documents between Harvard, other Ivy League schools and the College Board that contained any communication related to tuition, financial aid and admission practices.
As part of the request, the committee asked for any documents related to the 568 Presidents Group, a collection of universities that worked to provide similar tuition prices and financial aid. The organization was dissolved in 2022 amid a class-action lawsuit. Harvard was not involved in the group or in the lawsuit.
In an attempt to address its high tuition, Harvard announced in March that students whose families earned less than $100,000 could attend the school for free, while those whose families earn less than $200,000 would not have to pay the cost of tuition.
Steven Moity is a Times news assistant who also contributes reporting.
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