Public colleges in North Carolina must remove all course credit requirements linked to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) following President Trump’s executive order signed last month. 

The UNC System Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Andrew Tripp wrote in a Wednesday memo to all 17 chancellors across the state that “all general education requirements and major-specific requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or any other topic identified in Section VII of the Equality Policy are suspended.” 

Tripp warned in the memo, which was obtained by The Hill, that institutions risk “jeopardizing over $1.4B in critical federal research” funding if they do not comply with the executive order dubbed “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”

A chancellor can permit a waiver for “individual major-specific requirements but no such waiver of any general education requirement is available.” 

Tripp also wrote that students already enrolled in a now-suspended program requirement “shall be deemed converted immediately into a general elective requirement.” 

The students can remain in the course or withdraw from it without any penalties. 

“In all events, no student’s graduation shall be delayed or deferred for failure to satisfy a

suspended curricular or program requirement described in this memorandum; provided, however, the student must still satisfy the minimum credit hour requirements established by Section 400.1.5[R],” Tripp said in the 3-page memo.   

“All University enrollment processes going forward—whether for a summer, fall, spring, or any other, academic semester—shall comply with this memorandum,” he added. 

A UNC system spokesperson told The Hill in an emailed statement that “like institutions across the country, we’re assessing recent changes to federal policy and ensuring our universities can continue receiving the federal funding they depend on.” 

“This does not affect any course content; it suspends any requirements for DEI-focused courses as a condition of graduation,” the spokesperson added.