DOJ Opens 15 Medical School Admissions Probes, Threatening Federal Funds Over Race Criteria
Updated
Updated · Inside Higher Ed · Jun 8
DOJ Opens 15 Medical School Admissions Probes, Threatening Federal Funds Over Race Criteria
3 articles · Updated · Inside Higher Ed · Jun 8
Summary
Fifteen new DOJ investigations are targeting unnamed medical schools over potential race discrimination in admissions, widening a crackdown that recently cited UCLA and Yale.
The department says schools may be using race or "racial proxies" such as geography and lived experience in violation of the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative-action ruling and Title VI.
Federal funding for professional programs could be cut if schools refuse to cooperate or are found to have given illegal racial preferences; Stanford, Ohio State and UC San Diego have also faced DOJ scrutiny.
Medical schools and their advocates say the administration is misreading the court decision and ignoring how holistic admissions work, arguing that diverse classes improve physician training and patient care.
The probes extend Trump's broader push to police college admissions after a proposed federal reporting regime was blocked in 17 states, with medical schools seen as especially vulnerable because they rely heavily on federal money.