Department of Education investigating UC Berkeley over potential Clery Act violation
The Clery Act gives the Department of Education broad authority to review universities that receive federal funding.
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a sweeping review of the University of California, Berkeley, over whether the school failed to meet federal campus‑safety requirements during a violent protest that erupted at a Nov. 10 Turning Point USA event.
The inquiry, announced Nov. 25 by the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid, will examine whether Berkeley violated the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act—federal law requiring colleges that receive student‑aid funding to maintain accurate crime statistics, issue timely alerts, and uphold campus safety standards.
The decision comes just weeks after the killing of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk on another college campus, an incident that has already prompted heightened scrutiny of security practices at politically charged events nationwide. Federal officials said the Nov. 10 protest at Berkeley escalated beyond peaceful demonstration and raised questions about whether the university had adequate procedures in place to protect attendees.
This is not the first time Berkeley’s Clery compliance has been questioned. In 2020, the university paid a $2.4 million federal fine for misclassifying more than a thousand crimes and maintaining incomplete public crime logs.
As part of the review, Berkeley must provide extensive documentation within 30 days, including its 2025 Annual Security Report, four years of crime and arrest data, daily logs, all safety notifications issued since 2022, emergency‑response policies, and any agreements with local law enforcement. The university must also turn over maps, security‑contract information, and its internal post‑event assessment.
[RELATED: DOJ investigation into violent UC Berkeley protests must examine who is behind them]
The Clery Act gives the Education Department authority to fine institutions or mandate policy changes when violations are found.
The scale of the federal request suggests investigators are examining whether problems at Berkeley are systemic rather than isolated.
