Full Breakdown
UCSF Medical School Faces DOJ Allegations of Racial Discrimination in Admissions
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Allegations and UCSF Response
On September 22, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a nine-page findings letter asserting that the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine “deliberately discriminated” against white and Asian applicants while favoring Black and Hispanic candidates for the classes of 2023-2025. The DOJ claims the school admitted Black and Hispanic students whose academic metrics were lower than those of rejected white and Asian applicants. The university said it will continue “constructively” engaging with the DOJ and hopes to resolve the matter.
Background: Federal Policy and Recent Enforcement
The DOJ’s action follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of diversity initiatives, targeting universities over admissions, protest policies, and climate programs. Earlier investigations produced similar findings against the medical schools at UCLA and UC San Diego, and the DOJ has also examined UC Berkeley’s law school and Yale’s medical school.
Admission Data Highlighted by the DOJ
- UCSF receives more than 10,000 applications annually and admits roughly 2.5% of them.
- In 2025, admission rates were 7% for Black applicants and 4.8% for Hispanic applicants, compared with 1.7% for white applicants and 2% for Asian applicants.
- Average MCAT scores and GPAs for admitted Black students were 514 and 3.86, respectively; for Hispanic students, 513 and 3.88. By contrast, admitted white students averaged a 519 MCAT score (96th percentile) and a 3.95 GPA, while Asian admits averaged a 518 MCAT score (95th percentile) and a 3.93 GPA.
- The DOJ calculated that Black candidates in 2025 had nearly 13 times better odds of admission than white candidates with comparable qualifications.
Official Statements & Responses
“In other words, the average admitted black and Hispanic student academically underperformed the average rejected white and Asian student,” — Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U — Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the DOJ.
The DOJ’s letter requests a voluntary compliance agreement and urges the school to respond by October 2; failure to do so could lead to a lawsuit and potential loss of nearly $1 billion in annual federal funding, including a $5 million DOJ grant.
Next Steps and Potential Consequences
If the parties cannot reach an agreement by the October 2 deadline, the DOJ indicated it will seek enforcement through litigation. The outcome could affect UCSF’s federal funding streams and set precedent for how medical schools nationwide structure admissions criteria under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
