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The Justice Department (DOJ) on Monday accused the University of California San Diego School of Medicine of racial discrimination in its application process by favoring Black and Hispanic applicants.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said its investigation found that the medical school allegedly discriminated against applicants by using “race-neutral” practices in order to “deliberately increase admission” of racial minorities regardless of merit.
“San Diego Med’s documents show that admissions staff used purportedly ‘race-neutral’ subjective criteria to deliberately increase admission of so-called ‘underrepresented minorities in medicine’ (URM), which includes black and Hispanic applicants,” the department said in a statement.
The DOJ added that the findings were in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the landmark 2023 Supreme Court ruling in “Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard,” which struck down race-conscious admissions in higher education.
“Rather than rely on MCAT scores or GPA, San Diego Med’s shadow application process unlawfully judged applicants for admission based on their race,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement. “San Diego Med’s blatant efforts to prioritize race are illegal, and we will end these practices.”
The investigation was part of the Trump administration’s larger crackdown on diversity practices at colleges and universities.
UC San Diego said in a statement to the San Diego Union-Tribune that it is reviewing a letter sent by the DOJ, which outlined the findings of its investigation.
“UC San Diego School of Medicine is proud to produce some of the highest-performing physicians and researchers in the nation, with residency placements rates that consistently meet or exceed national averages,” the statement to the outlet reads. “All applicants to the school’s Doctor of Medicine must meet strict academic thresholds, a requirement that is and was applied uniformly to all applicants.”
The DOJ said it is seeking a voluntary settlement with the university to ensure its admissions practices are compliant with federal law, and that if negotiations fail, the department will file a lawsuit.
In May, the DOJ announced similar findings for Yale University School of Medicine following a yearslong probe into the school’s internal data and policies.
Last month, the DOJ announced civil rights investigations into 15 additional medical schools over alleged racial discrimination in admissions.
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