DOJ opens 15 new investigations into medical schools’ admissions

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday announced civil rights investigations into 15 additional medical schools over alleged racial discrimination in admissions, expanding on its recent probes into medical schools accused of race-conscious admissions practices.

The department’s Civil Rights Division said it will examine whether the schools, which each receive millions in federal funding, are complying with a Supreme Court ruling that upended decades of affirmative action policies in admissions at colleges and universities.

“Many of America’s top medical schools appear more concerned about the demographics of their incoming classes than training students to succeed in the profession,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, in a statement.

“Under this Justice Department, we will continue to protect American students from discriminatory and illegal preferences in admissions — especially in professions as critical as medicine, where quality of training should be the top priority,” she added.

The department did not name the 15 medical schools under investigation, and it stated it has not yet reached any conclusions.

The Civil Rights Division’s findings in a recent probe into Yale University’s medical school led to accusations from the department of race-based discrimination in admissions, alleging that the school favors Black and Hispanic applicants over white or Asian ones despite having the same test scores.

The investigations are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the admission process, especially at elite schools, and to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion practices in higher education which officials have called unfair.

Tags

Donald Trump

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.