DOJ Says UCLA Medical School Ignored 2023 Supreme Court Ban to Favor Black and Hispanic Applicants

Federal officials accused UCLA’s medical school on Wednesday of illegally using race during admissions decisions, intensifying a broader Trump administration campaign targeting diversity practices at major universities across the country.

Justice Department investigators concluded that UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine favored Black and Hispanic applicants over white and Asian American applicants during recent admissions cycles, according to Reuters. Federal officials said the admissions process violated civil rights law and conflicted with the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling banning race conscious college admissions policies.

UCLA rejected the allegations and said its admissions system remains merit based and compliant with state and federal law. University officials also said the school conducts a comprehensive review of every applicant and is reviewing the Justice Department findings released Wednesday.

Conflict over affirmative action has continued reshaping higher education since the Supreme Court struck down race based admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina nearly three years ago. That ruling ended decades of affirmative action practices while still allowing schools to consider how personal experiences shaped an applicant’s life and achievements.

Trump administration officials have increasingly argued universities continued factoring race into admissions through essays, personal statements, diversity questions, and broader application reviews. Conservative legal groups have filed multiple lawsuits accusing universities of using indirect methods to preserve racial balancing after the Supreme Court decision.

Federal investigators alleged UCLA admitted Black and Hispanic applicants with lower average grade point averages and MCAT scores than some rejected white and Asian American applicants between 2023 and 2025. Justice Department officials said statistical reviews and internal admissions records supported findings of intentional discrimination.

California banned affirmative action at public universities decades ago under Proposition 209, passed in 1996. Despite that law, critics have long argued some universities continued pursuing racial diversity goals through race neutral alternatives and broader holistic admissions strategies.

UCLA has faced mounting pressure from the Trump administration during the past year on several fronts beyond admissions. Earlier disputes centered on allegations involving antisemitic harassment tied to campus demonstrations connected to the war in Gaza. Federal lawsuits and funding disputes further deepened tensions between the administration and elite universities.

Investigations involving race based admissions practices have also expanded beyond UCLA. Federal officials recently opened similar inquiries involving Stanford University, Ohio State University, and the University of California San Diego medical school programs.

Civil rights advocates argue diversity initiatives help address historic inequities in medicine and education, particularly in fields where minority representation remains low. Conservative groups meanwhile say race conscious admissions unfairly disadvantage students competing under merit based standards.

Outcome of the UCLA findings could carry national consequences as universities continue adjusting admissions practices under growing legal scrutiny, political pressure, and changing federal enforcement priorities.