The Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused Yale Medical School of discriminating against white and Asian students by allegedly prioritizing Black and Hispanic students in admissions.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions, the Trump administration has continued to come after universities accused of violating that ruling. In a May 14 letter, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon alleged that Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at higher rates than white and Asian applicants with similar credentials.
“Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform,” Dhillon said. “This Department will continue to shed light on these illegal practices, and demand that institutions of higher education comply with federal law.”
Dhillon accused the school of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and said that the DOJ is seeking a voluntary resolution agreement with the university.
The DOJ’s investigation notes differences in grade-point averages and standardized test scores amongst the incoming classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025 as evidence of the school’s racial preferences.
According to The Associated Press, Black students in Yale’s most recent class had a median GPA of 3.88 and a median MCAT score in the 95th percentile. By comparison, Asian students had a median GPA of 3.98, while white students had 3.97. Both groups' MCAT scores were also reportedly in the 100th percentile.
“Based on our preliminary review of the applicant-level data, Yale’s 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,” Dhillon said.
Dhillon’s letter went on to claim that applicant data for the incoming 2026 class showed “virtually no difference in racial preferences of Yale admissions” from both before and after the Supreme Court ruling, evidence of “a willful failure to comply with that decision.”
Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges show that Black students account for about 10.3% of total medical school enrollment as of the 2024-25 school year.
While that marks an increase from 7.9% during the 2017-18 school year, white students accounted for over 24,000 admissions, which is around 44%. Yale is the second university to face allegations this month. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was also accused of racial discrimination in its medical school admissions process on May 6, per The AP.
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