The Department of Justice alleged on September 22, 2026 that UC San Francisco's medical school illegally discriminated against white and Asian applicants in favor of Black and Latino applicants for the 2023-2025 incoming classes. The DOJ found that Black candidates had nearly 13 times better odds of admission than similarly qualified white students in 2025, and that admitted Black and Hispanic students averaged lower MCAT scores (514 and 513 respectively) and GPAs than rejected white and Asian applicants who averaged 519 and 518 MCAT scores. The finding threatens UCSF's nearly $1 billion in annual federal funding and is part of a broader Trump administration crackdown on university admissions following the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on race-conscious admissions. UCSF has 10 days to negotiate a resolution or face a lawsuit.
DOJ discrimination findings against UCSF
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice accused UCSF of using application essays, hardship questions, interviews and ostensibly race-neutral criteria as proxies to identify and favor applicants from racial groups the school considers underrepresented in medicine.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice found that on average, black and Hispanic students admitted to UCSF between 2023 and 2025 had lower test scores and undergraduate grades than the average white and Asian applicant the school rejected.
- ▪Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, sent a nine-page findings letter on September 22, 2026 to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice accused University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) officials of illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice found that black candidates had almost 13 times better odds of admission to UCSF than white students with similar qualifications in 2025.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice concluded that UCSF deliberately discriminated based on race in its admissions and diversity pipeline programs for the incoming classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
UCSF admissions racial disparities
- ▪Black, Hispanic and other designated students made up 89% of enrollment in one of UCSF's pipeline programs during the 2024-25 academic year.
- ▪Admitted Hispanic students at UCSF in 2025 averaged a 513 MCAT score and a 3.88 GPA.
- ▪Asian students applying to UCSF in 2025 averaged a 518 MCAT score in the 95th percentile and a 3.93 GPA.
- ▪UCSF admits 2.5% of more than 10,000-plus annual applicants
- ▪White students applying to UCSF in 2025 averaged a 519 MCAT score in the 96th percentile and a 3.95 GPA.
- ▪In 2025, UCSF admitted 7% of Black applicants and 4.8% of Hispanic applicants, compared with 1.7% of white applicants and 2% of Asian applicants.
Trump administration university crackdown
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice's September 22, 2026 letter to UCSF is part of a broader Trump administration crackdown under Harmeet K. Dhillon on university admissions practices following the Supreme Court's 2023 Harvard decision prohibiting race-conscious college admissions
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice found in September 2026 that UC Berkeley's law school deliberately discriminated against white and Asian applicants, saying a comparable black applicant had 5.8 times greater odds of admission in 2025.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice found in May 2026 that Yale's medical school intentionally used racial preferences and proxies in admissions.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice sued Harvard in February 2026 to obtain admissions records the university allegedly withheld from investigators reviewing its compliance with federal civil rights law.
UCSF defense of practices
- ▪UCSF officials stated that every applicant is evaluated through a rigorous, individualized review process that prioritizes academic excellence.
- ▪UCSF officials stated on September 22, 2026 that they disagree with the Justice Department's findings regarding discrimination against white and Asian applicants
- ▪UCSF officials stated that beyond grades, prior coursework, and MCAT scores, other factors in admissions include clinical experience, research, service, and leadership to identify future physicians
- ▪UCSF officials stated that grades, prior coursework, and MCAT scores are important measures of an applicant's readiness for a UCSF medical education.
Federal funding at risk
- ▪Harmeet K. Dhillon told UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood to come to terms on a resolution regarding the medical school's admissions practices or face a lawsuit and other enforcement actions
- ▪UCSF receives nearly $1 billion in federal funding annually.
- ▪UCSF receives a $5 million grant from the Justice Department.
DOJ enforcement timeline
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice's investigation of UCSF began in March 2026.
- ▪UCSF produced only 83 additional documents to the U.S. Department of Justice, most of which the federal government deemed unresponsive.
- ▪UCSF turned over admissions data to the U.S. Department of Justice after receiving multiple extensions.
- ▪Harmeet K. Dhillon invited UCSF to negotiate an agreement to change its admissions practices and pipeline programs, giving the school 10 days to respond.
- ▪If a voluntary compliance agreement over UCSF's admissions practices cannot be reached by October 2, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice could seek to force compliance through a lawsuit
Debatable claims
- ▪DOJ should threaten federal funding to enforce race-neutral admissions
- ▪Medical schools should admit students based solely on academic qualifications
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