UCLA medical school illegally uses race in admissions, Justice Department investigation says
Key takeaways
- UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against applicants on the basis of race in admissions — in particular white and Asian Americans — for the last three years, according to U.S.
- Harvard — barred race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities but allowed schools to consider how race affected students if they wrote about their experiences in essays.
- UCLA did not immediately respond to the Justice Department report.
The Justice Department said UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, shown, violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating on the basis of race in admissions for the incoming classes of 2023 through 2025. (Google street view) By Jaweed Kaleem Staff Writer Follow May 6, 2026 10 AM PT 17 4 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against applicants on the basis of race in admissions — in particular white and Asian Americans — for the last three years, according to U.S. Department of Justice allegations released Wednesday by the agency’s Civil Rights Division.
In a seven-page letter, the department wrote that the medical school “continues to intentionally discriminate against applicants based on their race after the Supreme Court’s decision in Harvard by granting and denying admission on the basis of race.” That 2023 decision — Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard — barred race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities but allowed schools to consider how race affected students if they wrote about their experiences in essays.