Justice Department Investigation Determines UCLA’s Medical School Discriminated Based on Race in Admissions

LOS ANGELES – The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has completed a year-long investigation into the admissions policies and practices at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

The Department uncovered evidence that UCLA’s leadership intentionally selected applicants based on their race. Documents reviewed by the Division reveal that UCLA adheres to the dubious contention that patients receive the best care when treated by a doctor of the same race, rather than by the most qualified.

“UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors.” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racism in admissions is both illegal and anti-American, and this Department will not allow it to continue.”

“Federal law and the Supreme Court precedent are clear: Race discrimination has no place in our nation’s institutions of higher learning,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The pattern of illegal and odious conduct by UCLA’s medical school is abhorrent to our Constitution and our nation’s founding principles.”

The investigation showed that, on average, admitted black and Hispanic applicants had consistently lower academic qualifications than their white and Asian counterparts. These facts support the Department’s finding that UCLA violated the law by intentionally discriminating based on race in its admissions selections.

Medical schools use substantial federal financial assistance to train the next generation of doctors. The Department is continuing its focus on eradicating illegal race politics from admissions at medical schools, where quality and excellence are vitally important.