Race-based admissions allegations: DOJ accuses Yale Medical School of illegal consideration of race

The US Justice Department accused Yale University on Friday of using race illegally in medical school admissions. The agency said Black and Hispanic applicants had better admission odds than white or Asian applicants. The department linked that claim to lower GPAs and test scores. Yale was the second medical school targeted this month.

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Assistant attorney general for civil rights Harmeet Dhillon said the inquiry found racial preferences in several incoming classes. The department said it reviewed outcomes for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 classes. It also cited applicant-level data in its findings. Yale officials did not immediately respond to emailed questions.

Yale admissions race allegations and DOJ claims

In a letter to Yale lawyer Peter Spivack, Dhillon said Yale was violating Title VI. Title VI is part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It bans discrimination in federally funded programmes. The Justice Department said it wants a voluntary resolution agreement with Yale. Dhillon also noted the agency can sue if needed.

Dhillon said the department saw large differences in interview chances. The letter said, "Based on our preliminary review of the applicant-level data, Yales use of race resulted in a Black applicant being as much as 29 times higher odds of getting an interview for admission than an equally strong Asian applicant with similar academic credentials,\" Dhillons letter said.

The department said Yale used a holistic admissions process as a way to consider race. Dhillon added, \"Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the publics clear mandate for reform,\" Dhillon said in a statement. Dhillon also said, \"This Department will continue to shed light on these illegal practices, and demand that institutions of higher education comply with federal law.\"

Yale admissions race data cited for incoming classes

The Justice Department pointed to GPA and MCAT patterns in Yale’s most recent class. Black students had a median GPA of 3.88. Black students had a median MCAT score in the 95th percentile. Asian students had a 3.98 median GPA and a 100th percentile median MCAT. White students had a 3.97 median GPA and a 100th percentile median MCAT.

The letter also mentioned Yale’s stance in the Student for Fair Admissions case. The department cited Yale’s amicus brief in that lawsuit. Yale said it could not keep diverse classes without explicit race consideration. The department said Yale still maintained similarly diverse classes after that filing. It treated that as evidence of race discrimination.

Yale admissions race scrutiny after Supreme Court ruling

The Justice Department said a 2023 US Supreme Court decision barred affirmative action in college admissions. The ruling came from cases involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Dhillon wrote that Yale’s outcomes did not change after that decision. Dhillon said the lack of change showed a willful failure to comply.

The agency’s action came amid broader pressure on universities. Since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, the administration pushed schools to stop using race in admissions. Conservatives often call such practices illegal discrimination. Yale and Peter Spivack did not immediately return email messages seeking comment.

Last week, the Justice Department sent a similar notice to the University of California, Los Angeles. The agency said UCLA’s medical school also considered race illegally in admissions. Separately, in March, a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general sued over a Trump policy. That policy requires colleges to collect data showing they are not using race.

The Justice Department said it is seeking voluntary compliance from Yale under Title VI. It also said court action remains an option if talks fail. The agency’s claims relied on interview odds and academic comparisons. Yale had not publicly addressed the allegations at the time of the letter. The dispute sits within ongoing national debate over admissions rules.

With inputs from PTI