The US Department of Justice announced last week that the UCLA School of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles, is accused of denying admission to white and Asian applicants while giving preferential treatment to black and Hispanic applicants with lower scores.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated in a press release on October 1 that according to federal civil rights laws and a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 against affirmative action in university admissions, if the public university does not take corrective measures, it may risk losing federal funding.
She said, “Like many similar institutions, the UCLA School of Law employs a two-tiered admissions system, where academic standards for admission are raised or lowered based on race. It is illegal to use race as a factor to give any student an advantage or disadvantage. The Department of Justice will continue to enforce equal treatment under the law in all required areas, including law schools in our country.”
The Department of Justice reviewed the application materials for the UCLA School of Law classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025, including personal statements and essay topics. These materials were allegedly designed to “guide applicants to provide information on race.”
Dhillon further mentioned that admissions personnel at UCLA School of Law were allegedly involved in race-based recruitment activities, such as the “Diversity Admissions Open House,” where prospective applicants were guided on how to disclose their race in relevant parts of the application materials.
Investigators also found instances where the school rejected LSAT (Law School Admission Test) scores that were similar to those of admitted black and Hispanic applicants.
According to the Department of Justice press release, among black applicants admitted in 2024 and 2025, half had LSAT scores lower than 90% of white applicants admitted.
The DOJ also examined internal documents from the school. Dhillon stated that these documents showed discriminatory intent at the school. One document allegedly quoted an associate dean saying, “We are proud that 58% of the students in this year’s class are people of color.”
Another document reportedly from the assistant dean of admissions stated, “If your racial or ethnic background information helps the law school to better understand you, please include it.”
Dhillon disclosed the investigation findings in a letter to UCLA officials. She noted that after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling, the University of California system further reinforced its affirmative action practices, with the chancellor’s office issuing a memorandum stating, “Student diversity remains a top priority for the University of California.”
The Department of Justice reviewed UCLA School of Law’s application data from 2019 to 2025, spanning seven years, and found that the school did not make substantive changes to its admissions practices in response to the Supreme Court ruling.
Federal agencies also announced investigations into similar issues at UCLA Medical School, UC Davis Medical School, UC San Diego Medical School, George Washington University Medical School, Yale University Medical School, Duke University Law School, and UC Berkeley Law School.
Dhillon mentioned that her agency will enter into negotiations with UCLA for a settlement to bring the school’s admissions practices in compliance with the law. If these efforts fail, the Department of Justice will pursue litigation.
On October 1, the UCLA School of Law released a statement asserting that its admissions practices are not illegal and do not involve discrimination. The statement said, “UCLA School of Law is committed to making admissions decisions in compliance with all applicable laws, including the California Constitution as well as Proposition 209, federal regulations, and the U.S. Constitution. Students are admitted through a comprehensive, merit-based review process that considers each applicant’s achievements and experiences. We have confidence in our admissions process.”