UCLA medical school illegally used race in admissions, justice department finds | California
The U.S. Department of Justice found Wednesday that the medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, was illegally racially biased in admissions as the Trump administration stepped up scrutiny of universities’ student selection processes.
The finding adds to the Trump administration’s ongoing dispute with UCLA, which has mostly focused on the main campus’ response to allegations of anti-Semitic harassment.
The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA said in a written statement that its admissions process is “merit-based” and is committed to complying with state and federal laws. The Justice Department said it was reviewing its findings.
Affirmative action in college admissions has been illegal since a 2023 supreme court decision outlawed it. The same ruling said universities can continue to consider how applicants’ backgrounds speak to broader characteristics; But Donald Trump has accused universities of using applicants’ personal statements and other proxies to consider race in applications, which conservatives view as illegal discrimination.
In March, the justice department opened investigations into possible race-based discrimination in admissions to medical schools at Stanford, Ohio State and the University of California, San Diego. The Trump administration has previously targeted undergraduate admissions at selective universities, demanding they collect data to show they are complying with the high court order.
A year-long investigation of UCLA by the justice department found that the medical school discriminated against white and Asian American students by favoring Black and Hispanic applicants.
As part of its evidence, the department cited data showing that students admitted as Black or Hispanic had lower average GPAs and test scores in 2023 and 2024. The average GPA among Black students admitted in 2024 was 3.72; in contrast, it was 3.84 for Asian Americans and 3.83 for white students.
The department says this is evidence that the medical school is using non-academic factors to achieve diversity goals.
“As a result of these practices, highly qualified White, Asian, and other students were denied admission based on their race,” Harmeet Dhillon, head of the justice department’s civil rights division, said in a finding letter.
The ministry also discussed an application document inviting students to volunteer whether they are part of an excluded group and discuss the impact if so. The ministry said the question was included in the application process in 2024 and 2025.
California voters ended affirmative action in college admissions in a 1997 vote. In a brief filed in the high court case, the UC system said the change led to a rapid decline in the number of underrepresented minorities, especially on the system’s most selective campuses.
UC continues to implement “numerous and far-reaching race-neutral measures designed to increase diversity of all kinds, including racial diversity,” the summary said. Despite this, the system has struggled to increase campus diversity, he said.
The Trump administration’s finding paves the way for a voluntary settlement to bring UCLA into compliance with the justice department’s legal interpretation or possible legal action if that interpretation cannot be reached. Penalties may include loss of federal funds.
In March, a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy requiring higher education institutions to collect data showing they fail to consider race in admissions.
