Group: Harvard records show discrimination against Asian-Americans

Harvard University killed an internal investigation in 2013 that found evidence the Ivy League school's admissions system is biased against Asian-American applicants, a nonprofit group suing the university alleged in a court filing on Friday.

The claim by Students for Fair Admissions Inc came in a brief that sought to have a federal judge in Boston rule in its favor without a trial in a closely watched lawsuit accusing Harvard of discriminating against Asian-Americans.

The group, headed by prominent anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, said evidence showed that Harvard had allowed race to become a dominant consideration in considering applicants rather than just a legally allowed "plus" factor.

"Incontrovertible evidence shows that Harvard's admissions policy has a disproportionately negative effect on Asian-Americans vis-à-vis similarly situated white applicants that cannot be explained on non-discriminatory grounds," the group said in its brief.

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard in its own brief on Friday denied discriminating against Asian-Americans.

In court papers, Arlington, Virginia-based Students for Fair Admissions said an Asian-American male applicant with a 25 percent chance of admission would have a 35 percent chance if he was white, 75 percent if he were Hispanic and a 95 percent chance if he were black.

Reuters