DOJ Admonishes Medical Schools for Continued Race-Conscious Practices in Admissions Decisions

In early May, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent letters to the schools of medicine at both Yale University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), notifying them that it has found, in the course of its compliance review, that the schools’ admissions decisions “intentionally discriminate against applicants based on their race.” The DOJ’s letters follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 600 U.S. 181 (2023), holding that certain race-conscious admissions programs in higher education are unconstitutional and in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The DOJ’s actions could jeopardize medical schools’ ongoing efforts to diversify the physician workforce. Such diversification is often viewed as one means by which to effectively improve health outcomes for minority and other underserved populations.