Seven current and ex-students at Lincoln University of Missouri sued the state alleging it violated the Constitution and federal civil rights law by underfunding the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) for years.

Lincoln University is in Jefferson City, Missouri and is the state's first historically Black land-grant institution, and the University of Missouri is the state's predominantly white land-grant institution, according to Reuters.

RELATED: Trump administration announces $174 million investment in HBCUs Plaintiffs in the case include alumni who attended Lincoln University in the 1980s and 1990s, a former student who left without a degree in 2024, and four current students.