Civil Rights Group Files Complaint Against Kansas University's Race-Based Scholarship Program

The Equal Protection Project filed a federal civil rights complaint against Kansas Wesleyan University's NEXT Level Program, alleging it violates Title VI by allowing students of color to qualify based on race alone while requiring other students to meet socioeconomic or first-generation criteria. The program targets what the university defines as historically underserved students, including those from low-income backgrounds and students of color. The complaint is part of the Equal Protection Project's broader effort to challenge what it characterizes as discriminatory admission and scholarship practices across higher education institutions.

The Equal Protection Project, a legal initiative of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, filed the complaint on September 30, 2026, targeting Kansas Wesleyan University's scholarship initiative. The program extends eligibility to first-generation students and those from disadvantaged economic backgrounds alongside students from racial minority groups, but according to the complaint, applicants identifying as students of color need only meet that single criterion, whereas non-minority applicants must demonstrate additional hardship qualifications.

The organization has pursued similar legal challenges across American higher education, having contested over 850 programs at roughly 290 institutions since its founding. The complaint invokes Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, arguing that any institution receiving federal funding cannot lawfully discriminate based on race, color, or national origin in any aspect of its operations.