Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Litigation
Title IX or other federal statute
Other
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
On May 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division announced that it had completed a year-long investigation into the admissions policies and practices at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and determined that the medical school had discriminated based on race in violation of federal law. The Department stated that UCLA’s leadership had “intentionally selected applicants based on their race” and that the school’s admissions process had considered racial demographics. The Department found that, on average, admitted Black and Hispanic applicants had lower academic qualifications than White and Asian applicants and concluded that UCLA had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
On January 28, 2026, the Department of Justice had sought to intervene in a lawsuit challenging UCLA’s medical school admissions practices. The lawsuit alleged that UCLA continued to use race as a factor in admissions after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision prohibiting consideration of race in higher education admissions. The Department stated that the case involved whether UCLA maintained race-based admissions policies despite the Supreme Court’s ruling.
In its May 6 findings, the Department alleged that UCLA considered race through its admissions review process, including through applicants’ personal statements and descriptions of their backgrounds and experiences. The Department stated that UCLA relied on the view that increasing representation of certain racial groups among physicians improved patient care and said the school had allowed “racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors.” The Department concluded that race had been used as a factor in admissions decisions rather than evaluating applicants solely on individual qualifications.
UCLA stated that its admissions process was “based on merit” and involved a “rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant.” The university stated that it complied with state and federal laws and was reviewing the Department’s findings. The Justice Department’s investigation into UCLA was part of a broader review of medical school admissions practices following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision.
