The State Department is proposing to suspend 38 universities from the Diplomacy Lab research partnership program over their diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, with the changes set to take effect on January 1, 2026. The proposed suspensions target some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, and Johns Hopkins.
What Is the Diplomacy Lab
The Diplomacy Lab is a federal research collaboration program established in 2013 that pairs university researchers with State Department policy offices to work on real-world foreign policy challenges. The program provides universities with practical research opportunities while offering the State Department access to academic expertise and potential recruits.
The Proposed Changes
According to an internal memo dated November 17, 2025, the State Department is reviewing institutions that “openly engage in DEI hiring practices” or maintain DEI-related goals for candidate pools. The memo recommends excluding these universities from the program and replacing them with institutions that use strictly merit-based hiring standards. Schools such as Liberty University, Brigham Young University, and several universities in Missouri and Texas would receive the reallocated program slots.
Full List of Universities at Risk
Based on reporting from The Guardian and other sources, the 38 universities facing potential suspension include many elite institutions and large public university systems. The targeted schools include:
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Harvard University
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Yale University
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Stanford University
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Duke University
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Johns Hopkins University
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University of Southern California
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American University
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George Washington University
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Syracuse University
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Multiple University of California campuses
The complete list reportedly encompasses institutions that have been classified using an internal color-coded spreadsheet system that categorizes approximately 75 universities based on their DEI policies.
Broader Context of Federal DEI Crackdown
This Diplomacy Lab proposal represents just one component of the Trump administration’s broader campaign against DEI in higher education. In January 2025, President Trump declared diversity programs “illegal” and ordered federal agencies to require universities receiving federal grants to certify compliance or lose funding, with an April 21 deadline. The administration has also moved to terminate accreditors that require DEI practices, which could threaten universities’ ability to access federal student aid.
More than 50 universities across 41 states are currently under federal investigation for potential civil rights law violations tied to their DEI programs, with institutions facing the possibility of losing federal funding if found in violation of Title VI. Several universities have already begun scaling back DEI initiatives in response to these pressures, with some dismantling DEI offices entirely to maintain access to federal funding.
Institutional Responses and Impact
Some universities have proactively rolled back their DEI programs to avoid losing federal support. Columbia University, for example, ended race and sex-based hiring practices as part of a $200 million settlement. Many institutions are now reevaluating race-based scholarships, recruitment policies, and faculty development initiatives to ensure compliance with the new federal stance.
College leaders express concern that these broad directives force them to scale back programs originally designed to combat inequality or risk losing critical federal funds. The financial stakes are substantial, as federal funding supports not only research partnerships but also student aid programs that serve millions of students nationwide.
What Comes Next
The State Department has confirmed it is reviewing all programs to ensure alignment with the Trump administration’s agenda on DEI. Letters notifying universities of their discontinued participation in the Diplomacy Lab are reportedly being prepared pending final approval. The bureau of public affairs will update suitability criteria to include only institutions with merit-based hiring practices, excluding those with DEI policies whether implemented openly or discreetly.
Higher education experts anticipate that the Diplomacy Lab overhaul is just the first of several federal education partnerships that will be restructured under the new merit-first mandate. Universities will need to decide whether to maintain their DEI commitments and forfeit federal partnerships, or adapt their policies to comply with the administration’s requirements and preserve access to federal funding and research opportunities.
