Northwestern University ended its long-running Posse Scholars scholarship program, which provided merit-based full-tuition awards to students selected from major U.S. cities. The university will phase out the program, enrolling its final Posse cohort in the fall while current scholars remain covered. Northwestern said it intends to reallocate resources to support “access, opportunity and belonging” regardless of students’ hometown or financial means. Posse Foundation data cited in reporting suggests that Posse Scholars include large shares of first-generation students and Black or Hispanic alumni, raising questions for campus equity leaders about how scholarship pipelines will be restructured. The decision comes amid federal scrutiny of DEI-related practices, including previous funding freezes tied to access and nondiscrimination commitments. For admissions and financial aid leaders, the program change is a concrete example of how institutional partnership models may be altered under compliance risk.