Almost 40 per cent of universities and colleges are in breach of new race relations legislation, according to a report from the Commission for Racial Equality.
The report, Towards Racial Equality, found that 39 per cent of further and higher education institutions had not fully assessed their "functions and policies" with regard to the new laws, six months after the deadline for having clear race relations strategies in place.
"Assessing functions and policies for relevance is a crucial first step in developing effective race equality strategies," the report says. "Action needs to be taken urgently by those that have not yet carried out full assessments, which is a statutory requirement."
Institutions that have failed to comply could face legal action.