The US Department of Justice (DOJ) stated on Wednesday (June 10) that the UC Davis School of Medicine in California discriminated against white and Asian Americans in its admissions process.
After a six-month investigation into the school’s admissions practices, the DOJ reached this conclusion. The department stated that the UC Davis School of Medicine violated the decision of the US Supreme Court in the “Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard” case in 2023.
The DOJ pointed out that the investigation found that the school adopted practices aimed at circumventing the Supreme Court’s decision to “ban affirmative action” practices. According to documents provided by the school, the school’s leadership had openly boasted about how they were bypassing the Supreme Court’s decision.
The DOJ stated that the school used an assessment system called the “Davis Scale,” which considered factors such as family income, parental education level, and whether the applicant lived in underserved areas as surrogate indicators of race.
Data from admissions between 2023 and 2025 showed that the admission rates for African American and Hispanic applicants were significantly higher than those for white and Asian applicants, despite the former having lower average academic scores.
The DOJ announced that they will seek to reach a settlement with the school; if negotiations fail, litigation is not ruled out.
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Harmeet K. Dhillon, stated, “UC Davis School of Medicine’s admissions practices that prioritize race over merit, skills, and professional abilities are a blatant disregard for the rule of law. The DOJ will not allow schools to violate federal laws without consequences.”
In response to the DOJ’s conclusion, UC Davis issued a statement denying the findings, stating that the report did not accurately reflect the school’s rigorous, personalized, and merit-based admissions process, and their commitment to complying with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
In March 2025, the DOJ announced an investigation into the admissions practices of Stanford University and the University of California system.
Last month, the DOJ concluded that the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Yale University School of Medicine engaged in racial discrimination in their admissions processes.
The department noted that for decades, US “elite colleges and universities” have placed racial quotas above equal opportunities under the guise of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Chad Mizelle said in March 2025, “The DOJ will put an end to this shameful system where one’s race is more important than their abilities. All colleges and universities should understand that illegal discrimination in admissions will be investigated and eliminated.”