DOJ finds race discrimination at UCSF medical school

# DOJ Finds Racial Disparities in UCSF Medical School Admissions

The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded that the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine discriminated on the basis of race in admissions for its incoming classes from 2023 through 2025.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said its analysis found that Hispanic applicants were 4.6 times more likely to be admitted than comparable white applicants, while Black applicants were 12.6 times more likely to be admitted when applicants with similar MCAT scores, undergraduate GPAs and socioeconomic characteristics were compared.

The findings, announced September 22, come as the Trump administration continues to examine race-conscious admissions policies at universities that receive federal funding. The investigation follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in *Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard* and *Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina*, which addressed the consideration of race in college admissions.

According to the DOJ, race played a role at multiple points in UCSF’s admissions process, including decisions about which applicants were invited for interviews and which applicants ultimately received admission offers.

The department said Black and Hispanic applicants were selected for interviews at higher rates than white and Asian applicants, despite having lower average MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs in the classes examined.

For the 2025 incoming class, the DOJ reported average MCAT scores of 519 for admitted white students and 518 for admitted Asian students. The averages were 514 for Black students and 513 for Hispanic students.

The reported differences also extended to undergraduate academic performance. Average GPAs were 3.95 for white students, 3.93 for Asian students, 3.86 for Black students and 3.88 for Hispanic students, according to the department.

The DOJ said the disparities remained after its analysis accounted for academic and socioeconomic characteristics.

“Unfortunately, at UCSF Medical School, MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs have taken a backseat to race,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in announcing the findings.

The department said the practices violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination by institutions receiving federal financial assistance.

The DOJ’s findings letter also documented substantial differences in admission rates among racial groups during the three-year period. For the 2023 incoming class, the department reported admission rates of 1.50% for white applicants, 2.55% for Asian applicants, 6.69% for Hispanic applicants and 11.43% for Black applicants.

For the 2024 class, the corresponding rates were 1.65% for white applicants, 2.44% for Asian applicants, 5.86% for Hispanic applicants and 7.65% for Black applicants.

For 2025, the reported admission rates were 1.70% for white applicants, 1.98% for Asian applicants, 4.83% for Hispanic applicants and 6.96% for Black applicants.

The Justice Department said its analysis found that the average academic credentials of admitted Black and Hispanic students were lower than those of rejected white and Asian applicants during the period examined.

UCSF, however, disputes the department’s conclusions about its admissions process. A university spokesperson said UCSF would continue working with the Justice Department and emphasized that academic performance remains an important part of its admissions decisions.

The university said admissions officers consider grades, previous coursework and MCAT scores alongside clinical experience, research, community service, leadership and other qualifications.

The difference between the DOJ’s statistical analysis and UCSF’s description of its admissions process is central to the dispute. While the department said its comparison examined MCAT scores, undergraduate GPA and socioeconomic characteristics, UCSF maintains that its admissions decisions consider a broader set of qualifications.

The Justice Department is seeking a voluntary agreement with UCSF to change its admissions practices and bring them into compliance with Title VI and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling.

The department said that if the university does not reach a resolution voluntarily, the federal government could pursue litigation.

The UCSF case is part of a broader Justice Department review of admissions practices at medical schools and other higher education institutions. The department has announced other findings and legal actions in 2026 involving institutions including Yale School of Medicine, UCLA’s medical school and UC Berkeley School of Law.

The dispute adds another development to the continuing legal and policy debate over how race and ethnicity may be considered in higher education admissions following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision.