Activist groups filed a complaint on Monday with the US Department of Education against Harvard University, challenging its legacy admissions policy. The complaint comes days after the US Supreme Court rejected the use of race in college admissions, known as affirmative action, upending years of precedent.

The lawsuit alleges that applicants who have relatives that went to Harvard and/or were wealthy donors to the university are “flagged at the outset” of the admission process, making these applicants more likely to be accepted than others. The complaint also claims 15 percent of Harvard’s student body come from legacy admittances, and alleges this practice disproportionately benefits white applicants. According to the complaint, “Experts have found that reducing or eliminating Donor and Legacy Preferences enhances diversity in higher education.”

Harvard previously justified its legacy admissions practice by stating it strengthens strong bonds between the university and its alumni, encourages donations from alumni, grows engagement and helps to build community.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the Chica Project, which focuses on creating opportunities for young women of color in Massachusetts; the African Community Economic Development of New England, which helps Boston African refugees and immigrants obtain educational opportunities; and the Greater Boston Latino Network, which focuses on addressing the underrepresentation of the Latinx community in Boston. The complaint falls under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits the exclusion from participation and benefits, as well as general discrimination, by race, color or national origin in federally assisted programs.