Federal Review of Brown University Opens After Deadly Campus Shooting

The U.S. Department of Education announced on December 22, 2025 that its Office of Federal Student Aid will conduct a program review of Brown University to assess possible violations of Section 485(f) of the Higher Education Act, commonly known as the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. The review follows a December 13 shooting on the university campus that killed two students and injured nine others.

Department officials said the review will examine whether Brown fulfilled its federal campus safety obligations. The Department requested that Brown submit materials and information to FSA by January 30, 2026. The public excerpt of the Department release did not specify the exact documents or data that FSA has requested as part of the review.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon framed the review in stark terms. “After two students were horrifically murdered at Brown University when a shooter opened fire in a campus building, the Department is initiating a review of Brown to determine if it has upheld its obligation under the law to vigilantly maintain campus security,” she said, adding, “Students deserve to feel safe at school, and every university across this nation must protect their students and be equipped with adequate resources to aid law enforcement.”

Brown University announced that it will undertake a separate after action review by outside experts to examine campus safety conditions before the shooting, the university response on the day of the incident, and post event emergency efforts. The university also placed Rodney Chatman, its vice president for public safety and emergency management, on leave effective immediately. University leaders have described a range of short term security steps they intend to implement while the internal and external reviews proceed.

The federal program review adds a formal compliance layer to the university and community response. FSA program reviews are designed to determine whether institutions complied with federal law and to identify corrective actions or potential enforcement steps if violations are found. The precise consequences of any finding will depend on the review’s determinations and are governed by federal enforcement procedures.

The timing and scope of the FSA review will test how federal oversight intersects with campus level reforms after a lethal incident. Advocates for campus safety and legal experts note that federal scrutiny can prompt changes in reporting protocols, security staffing and coordination with local law enforcement. For students and families, the Department’s action raises immediate questions about transparency, communication and the adequacy of resources devoted to preventing and responding to campus violence.

Separately, state education records show ongoing and prior oversight of Brown’s teacher preparation programs, which are unrelated to the federal program review but indicate that multiple layers of accountability oversee different university functions. Brown must deliver its response to FSA by January 30, 2026, after which the Department will continue its review and determine whether further enforcement action is warranted.