In a recent federal civil rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, the medical watchdog group Do No Harm accused Northeastern State University (NSU) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) of engaging in illegal racial discrimination in a nursing scholarship program.

The July 21 complaint states that the two colleges administer a nursing scholarship program available only to American Indian individuals, which Do No Harm says violates Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The complaint says that, under the scholarship program, “these institutions are unlawfully discriminating against white students and other races they disfavor. As the schools candidly admit, this nursing scholarship is available only to ‘American Indian students.’ Other races need not apply.

“That blatant discrimination is illegal,” the complaint states.

According to the complaint, the scholarship program covers tuition, books, fees, and living expenses for recipients who maintain membership in a federally recognized Indian tribe and sign a contract obligating them to practice at an Indian health facility for a minimum of two years upon completion of their academic training.

“In the views of NSU and NEO, students of other races—regardless of their academic ability, skills, experiences, or perspectives—do not deserve a chance to apply for the scholarship, even if they commit to serving in Indian health facilities,” the complaint states.

Do No Harm’s members include physicians, nurses, medical students, patients, and policymakers, and the organization works to keep identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice.

“NSU and NEO are excluding qualified individuals from rich learning opportunities based solely on race, regardless of their academic ability, skills, experiences, and perspectives and even if they commit to serving in Indian health facilities,” said Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer at Do No Harm. “Favoring one race over all others is not only unlawful and unjust but also discredits the value of hard work and meritocratic achievement that is critical to our healthcare-education system. Do No Harm urges both universities to reverse their discriminatory ways and recenter their nursing scholarship program around excellence and academic rigor.”

A spokesperson for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College denied wrongdoing.

“Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College complies with all applicable federal and state laws and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law,” the college’s statement said. “At this time, the College is not aware of any formal complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education and has not received any official notification regarding such a complaint. Should the College receive formal notice, NEO will review the matter carefully and respond through the appropriate process.”

Northeastern State University did not respond to a request for comment.