The Department of Justice (DOJ) is accusing the Yale School of Medicine of illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants – just the latest effort from the Trump administration to combat racial bias in university admissions offices.
According to a May 14 letter from Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to a lawyer for Yale, a DOJ investigation has uncovered evidence that the school systematically admitted lower-qualified black and Hispanic applicants over white and Asian applicants with higher grade-point averages and better test scores.
“Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform,” Dhillon said in a statement. “This Department will continue to shed light on these illegal practices, and demand that institutions of higher education comply with federal law.”
Yale is the second institution to be charged by a federal agency for racial discrimination this month, along with the UCLA School of Medicine. As DOJ’s statement explained, “Yale’s admissions data demonstrates that Black and Hispanic students have a much higher chance of admission to Yale than White or Asian students with the same test scores.”
Despite the Supreme Court ruling that race-conscious college admissions violate the Constitution in the landmark 2023 case Students for fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, DOJ alleges that Yale School of Medicine has continued its race-based admissions program. Because of this, DOJ classified Yale’s actions as a “clear violation of federal law.”
According to the investigation’s findings, following the Harvard decision, Yale’s admissions staff continued to adhere to an admissions model developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The model lists both “race” and “national origin” as criteria to consider in the admissions process, which is prohibited under Harvard.
“Yale uses its holistic-review procedure to uncover and then use applicants’ race through direct and indirect means,” the letter reads. “It then conducts interviews that enable to committee to know applicants’ race and ethnicity. Race preferences elevate Black and Hispanic applicants in the admissions process.”
Black applicants are allegedly 29 times more likely to land an interview for admission than an equally strong Asian applicant with similar applicant credentials.
Those defending Yale Medical School, such as radiologist Dr. Jeff Anderson, argued that “every last one of these [students] are overly qualified I assure you. There’s just simply not enough seats.” But while the admissions process is indeed selective, Yale has yet to explain the consistently disproportionate racial profile of their medical school classes – and why lesser qualified black and Hispanic applicants were consistently admitted over higher-qualified white and Asian applicants.
DOJ’s letter also cited Yale’s amicus brief in Harvard, noting that the school said that it would not be able to maintain racially diverse classes without consideration of race in the admissions process. Yet, as of 2026, the school has maintained similarly diverse classes, serving as evidence of their continued racial discrimination and failure to comply with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
In response to the DOJ letter, a spokesperson for Yale said, “We will carefully review the Department of Justice’s letter. Yale School of Medicine is confident in the rigorous admissions process we follow.” The institution has yet to take any further action.
The DOJ investigation comes amid President Donald Trump’s broader push to end race-based admissions policies at American universities, arguing that such practices violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Through these efforts, the administration is advancing a return to merit-based admissions and is reaffirming that academic achievement and qualification – not racial identity – should determine who receives academic opportunities.
Lillian Ferrell is a senior at Hillsdale College studying English and music. She has experience in journalism and podcasting as the host of the Grace Over Grind podcast. Her written work focuses on American politics, culture, and public policy.
