Following complaints of discrimination by four Indian-American organisations and other Asian groups in Harvard University admission process, the Donald Trump administration is gearing up to launch a probe.

The federal complaint was jointly filed by 64 Asian groups, which included the Global Organisation of Persons of Indian Origin, National Federation of Indian-American Associations, American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin and BITS Sindri Alumni Association of North India.

"Many Asian-American students who have almost perfect SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores, top one per cent GPAs (Grade Point Average), plus significant awards or leadership positions in various extracurricular activities have been rejected by Harvard University and other Ivy League Colleges while similarly situated applicants of other races have been admitted," said the complaint.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores, however, said the department wants to investigate the "administrative complaint filed by a coalition of 64 Asian-American associations in May 2015 that the prior administration left unresolved. The complaint alleges racial discrimination against Asian-Americans in a university’s admission policy and practices."

The Education Department dismissed a similar complaint by another organisation under former president Barack Obama, while the Justice Department did not follow up on the complaint made to its Office of Civil Rights that is now being taken up for review.