The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), an elite medical school, illegally discriminated against white and Asian applicants according to the DOJ. As a result, millions of dollars in federal funds could be at risk.
The DOJ is accusing officials at the top medical school of illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants, giving black candidates almost 13 times better odds of admission than white students with similar qualifications in 2025, according to a report by the California Post.
“Unfortunately, at UCSF Medical School, MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs have taken a backseat to race,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general in charge of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, told the newspaper.
“Aspiring doctors should be admitted based on their qualifications,” Dhillon added. “The Supreme Court has spoken clearly — federally funded medical schools may not admit students based on misguided and illegal notions of diversity.”
Dhillon reportedly sent a blistering nine-page letter to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood on Tuesday, warning the medical school to reach a resolution or face a lawsuit and other enforcement actions.
On average, black and and Hispanic students admitted from 2023 to 2025 posted lower scores and undergraduate GPAs than the typical white and Asian applicants UCSF rejected, the DOJ found.
Last year, the university admitted seven percent of black applicants and 4.8 percent of hispanic applicants, while accepting a mere 1.7 percent of white applicants and two percent of asian applicants, federal officials say.
Meanwhile, admitted white students that year averaged a 519 MCAT — the 96th percentile — and had a 3.95 GPA, while Asian students averaged a 518 — the 95th percentile — with a 3.93 GPA. Admitted black students averaged a 514 and a 3.86 GPA, with Hispanic students averaging a 513 and a 3.88 GPA.
“In other words, the average admitted black and Hispanic student academically underperformed the average rejected white and Asian student,” Dhillon wrote.
The Justice Department determined that UCSF “deliberately discriminated” based on race in its admissions process for the incoming classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The letter also noted that the university receives nearly $1 billion in federal funding annually, including a $5 million grant from the DOJ.
UCSF officials pushed back on Tuesday, maintaining that they “disagree” with the Justice Department’s findings.
“Admission to the UCSF School of Medicine is among the most selective in the country,” university officials reportedly said. “Every applicant is evaluated through a rigorous, individualized review process that prioritizes academic excellence.”
“Academic achievement is fundamental to that review. Grades, prior coursework, and MCAT scores are important measures of an applicant’s readiness for a UCSF medical education,” they added.
Officials with the elite medical school went on to claim that other factors such as “clinical experience, research, service,” and “leadership” are used to identify future physicians.
But federal officials say UCSF used application essays, hardship questions, interviews, and other supposedly race-neutral criteria as stand-ins for race, allowing the school to identify and favor applicants from groups it considers underrepresented in medicine.
The DOJ pointed to two pipeline programs that offer specialized admission tracks, scholarships, and other assistance.
Black, Hispanic and other designated students made up 89 percent of enrollment in one of the programs during the 2024-25 academic year, the Justice Department added.
UCSF reportedly turned over admissions data to the DOJ — which started its investigation in March — after receiving multiple extensions. However, federal officials said most of the documents the university sent in were unresponsive.
The Justice Department also noted that the school did not explain the racial gaps in grades and MCAT scores among admitted students.
Dhillon invited UCSF to negotiate changes to its admissions practices and pipeline programs, and gave the university ten days to respond. If no agreement is reached by October 2, federal officials could sue to force compliance, the California Post reported.
UCSF officials asserted, “Academic excellence has always been central to our admissions process,” adding, “We will continue to engage constructively with the department and look forward to resolving this matter.”
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.