The colleges facing DOJ accusations of racial discrimination in admissions
The U.S. Department of Justice recently launched a review of admissions policies at multiple universities, finding that six institutions, including the UCLA School of Medicine, engaged in race-based discriminatory admissions practices, and threatened to file lawsuits if voluntary settlements cannot be reached.
In May, the Trump administration opened a new front in its crackdown on the higher education sector.
The U.S. Department of Justice said it had completed a yearlong investigation into the University of California, Los Angeles’ medical school and concluded that the public institution was discriminating based on race by giving Black and Hispanic applicants a leg up in the admissions process. UCLA pushed back against claims it was violating the law.
Since then, the DOJ has produced similar findings against four other medical schools and one law school, alleging that they are violating the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious admissions.
In each case, the agency said it is seeking to work with the colleges to come to a voluntary resolution to bring them back into compliance. The DOJ has threatened to sue the institutions if that doesn’t work.
6 colleges face DOJ allegations of illegally discriminating in admissions
More of these findings are likely coming down the pike. In June, the DOJ announced it had opened 15 probes into medical school admissions, though it didn’t name the institutions it was investigating.
Below, we’re rounding up the latest news about each college that DOJ has accused of racial discrimination in their admissions.
Editor’s note: Are we missing any major developments? Let us know.