The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday alleged that the UC San Diego School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against applicants by granting and denying admission based on race.
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The accusation comes following a four-month review of the school’s admission practices as part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on race-conscious admissions, particularly in California.
For decades, California’s affirmative action ban has barred schools from considering applicants’ race in admissions. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious college admissions are unconstitutional nationwide. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating based on race, color or national origin.
“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 for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement Monday.
“San Diego Med’s blatant efforts to prioritize race are illegal, and we will end these practices.”
UC San Diego said in a statement to the Union-Tribune that it is reviewing a letter sent by the DOJ outlining the findings.
“UC San Diego School of Medicine is proud to produce some of the highest-performing physicians and researchers in the nation, with residency placement rates that consistently meet or exceed national averages,” the school said. “All applicants to the school’s Doctor of Medicine program must meet strict academic thresholds, a requirement that is and was applied uniformly to all applicants.
“UC San Diego remains committed to full compliance with federal law and welcomes the opportunity to work collaboratively and constructively with the federal government to affirm that commitment.”
The Justice Department sent the medical school a letter on March 25 saying it was opening an investigation into possible discrimination and requested seven years’ worth of admissions records that included Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, GPAs, a variety of affirmative action data, home ZIP code numbers, and material regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.
UCLA and UC Davis received the same kind of attention. Earlier this year, the Justice Department alleged that separate reviews showed both schools were in violation of federal non-discrimination laws.
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UCSD says the medical school receives about 10,400 applications per year and that roughly 1,000 applicants are invited to interview. Each year’s fall class of new med students averages about 140.
The DOJ said that, in response to its request for records, the school responded with “only 75 documents,” including correspondence and applicant-level data for admissions cycles for incoming classes in 2020 through 2025.
The Justice Department’s review was heavily based on how the school appeared to consider the applicants’ MCAT scores and GPAs in the years before and after the 2023 Supreme Court decision.
Before the court ruling, UCSD’s criteria appeared to specifically consider, in part, lower-scoring applicants who were underrepresented minorities in medicine, or those with a “disadvantaged background,” according to the DOJ.
After the ruling, the school categorized its applicants by test scores and grades, but then identified subgroups of people in each category based on information they provided about overcoming “hardships.” The DOJ said a certain number of people with identified hardships were then granted interviews, and that during some years, screeners had access to the applicants’ race.
The DOJ pointed to correspondence from admissions officials in 2023 that appears to recommend giving more weight to those with hardships in the lower-scoring tier as a way to boost interviews with Black and Hispanic applicants.
“To racially diversify its classes, San Diego Med created an evaluation process that uses ‘hardship’ as a racial proxy, specifically to achieve its diversity agenda,” according to an eight-page letter sent to UCSD outlining its conclusion. As a result, “more qualified white and Asian students were denied admission,” the letter adds.
In the letter, DOJ also pointed to admissions data showing racial disparities in test scores and grades.
The Justice Department said it is seeking to enter into a voluntary resolution agreement with the school “to ensure that its admissions practices are brought into compliance.”
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