The US Department of Justice has accused the University of California, San Diego’s medical school of discriminating against White and Asian applicants by favouring Black and Hispanic applicants. The DOJ believes that UC San Diego’s medical school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law bans discrimination based on race, colour, or national origin in initiatives or activities that receive federal aid. The DOJ accusing UC San Diego of discrimination against white students In a letter published on Monday, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil rights division,
Marsai Martin’s foundation, Seeds of Fortune Inc and FICO are teaming up to launch the FICO Financial Empowerment Fellowship. The fellowship aims to empower students through scholarships, financial education, and opportunities, according to its website. Marsai Martin’s foundation In 2025, Martin and her Marsai’s Way Foundation teamed up with the nonprofit Seeds of Fortune Inc. to empower 10,000 young women through financial education and wealth-building initiatives over the next three years. The partnership launched at the Seed Forum: Women of Colour Creating Wealth Summit, an event designed to address the racial and gender wealth gap
Fisk University is receiving backlash for its Quantum Leap project. The $1 billion project plans to improve the student experience by building a data and tech centre, renovating the student area, and upgrading student classrooms, according to a press release. The Quantum Leap project The innovation centre will be a $400 million project spanning a 100,000-square-foot facility with 30,000 square feet of academic space and 70,000 square feet of technology centre. The centre will provide students with new and existing curricula, as well as tech-forward interdisciplinary studies. “Reflecting Fisk University’s
A group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities has launched the Association of HBCU Research Institutions (AHRI) to address key societal issues. AHRI will bring together 15 HBCUs to work towards achieving R1 status, the highest level of research activity under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This will be achieved by improving policy influence and boosting transformative discoveries at scale, according to a press release. “Today is not just an announcement, but a declaration that HBCUs are not only contributors to research and innovation, but also leaders
Saint Augustine’s University, a historically Black college, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to Bloomberg. Founded in 1867, Saint Augustine’s is one of the oldest historically Black colleges in the US, but has faced financial struggles in recent years. Earlier this month, the board of directors at the Raleigh, North Carolina-based school voted unanimously in favor of initiating the bankruptcy process, as per a resolution included with court documents. On Monday, the college listed liabilities of $50 million to $100 million and assets of $100 million to $500
Chris Gray, founder of the Black-owned scholarship app Scholly, is suing its acquirer, Sallie Mae, alleging that it sold data collected on the app, as reported by TechCrunch. Scholly, which allows Black students to easily search for scholarships, was acquired by Saille Mae in 2023. However, Gray is now alleging that his acquirer sold data his app collected, including information on minors, without telling users. He is also suing the company for wrongful termination. Chris Gray’s lawsuit against Sallie Mae In the lawsuit, Gray alleges that Sallie Mae fired his
Morehouse College, a historically Black college and university, has received a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build a supercomputer. The Morehouse Center for Broadening Participation in Computing has received the initial $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to start building the supercomputer Horizon. Further capital will be donated to support similar initiatives. The grant is part of a wider $457 million project to build one of the most powerful academic supercomputers in the southeast. The college will become a national hub by introducing
Two recent Stanford graduates have raised $2 million to launch Breakthrough Ventures, a hybrid accelerator for college student and recent graduate founders across the US, according to TechCrunch. The program mirrors how top universities often turn class projects into venture-scale companies by packaging funding, infrastructure, and investor exposure into a single pathway. While Breakthrough recruits founders nationally, much of its deal flow and decision-making remains anchored in Stanford-connected spaces, a dynamic that shapes who sets early company terms and captures ownership at the earliest stages. Funding, Infrastructure, and Formation Rolled
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is bringing his education technology startup, Lumi, into K–12 classrooms through a new partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). The collaboration launches a phased district pilot that introduces students to AI-powered storytelling tools designed to support literacy, creativity, and responsible technology use. Kaepernick’s AI Storytelling Platform Founded by Kaepernick in 2024, Lumi Story AI emerged from stealth with $4 million in seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Seven Seven Six. The platform is built to position AI as a creative assistant, helping
A 13-year-old boy in the UK is paying his own boarding school fees using profits from his Caribbean food business, a venture he started at just six years old. Malaki Conteh now covers the portion of his school fees not covered by financial aid at The Prebendal School in southern England, where he attends as a full-time boarder. Tuition runs about £4,000 ($5,384) per semester, with Conteh paying the remaining balance after receiving a 50% scholarship, My London reports. Turning a Family Kitchen Into a Business Conteh runs Malaki’s Food
