Trump Officials Investigate Three Major Medical Schools Over Admissions

The Trump administration's Justice Department has opened civil rights investigations into the admissions practices at three of the nation's most prestigious medical schools, demanding extensive data on how Stanford University, Ohio State University, and the University of California San Diego select their incoming classes.

The investigations, disclosed in letters sent to the schools this week and obtained by multiple news outlets, represent a significant escalation of the administration's campaign to reshape higher education admissions in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision striking down race-conscious admissions. The letters demand years of applicant data including test scores, grade point averages, demographic information, and internal communications related to admissions criteria.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement that the investigations were prompted by complaints alleging that the schools continue to use race as a factor in admissions decisions despite the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. She said the department has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans have equal access to medical education regardless of their racial or ethnic background.

All three schools denied engaging in race-based admissions. Stanford's medical school said in a statement that it fully complies with the Supreme Court's decision and selects students based on academic achievement, research experience, clinical aptitude, and personal qualities. Ohio State said it welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate the integrity of its admissions process. UC San Diego, which is bound by California's Proposition 209 banning race-conscious admissions at state institutions since 1996, said the investigation was puzzling given its three-decade track record of race-neutral admissions.

The investigations have sparked alarm in the medical education community, where leaders worry that the federal scrutiny will have a chilling effect on efforts to build diverse physician workforces. The Association of American Medical Colleges noted that Black, Hispanic, and Native American physicians remain severely underrepresented relative to the populations they serve, and that the physician workforce's lack of diversity has been linked to health disparities in underserved communities.

Medical school deans at several institutions not under investigation said privately that the probes would likely cause schools to pull back from holistic admissions practices that consider applicants' socioeconomic backgrounds, community involvement, and experiences overcoming adversity. While those factors are not explicitly racial, they often correlate with race and have been used by schools seeking to maintain diverse classes within the constraints of the Supreme Court ruling.

The investigations come amid a broader push by the administration to scrutinize diversity and inclusion efforts across higher education. The Department of Education has separately threatened to withhold federal funding from universities that maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, and the Justice Department has opened investigations into several law schools and undergraduate programs over similar admissions concerns.

Civil rights groups expressed concern that the investigations are designed to intimidate rather than uncover genuine violations. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said the department appears to be targeting institutions with strong reputations for training physicians who serve diverse communities. The American Medical Association urged the department to consider the public health implications of policies that could reduce the pipeline of physicians from underrepresented backgrounds.

Republican supporters of the investigations said they are necessary to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas called medical school admissions one of the most consequential areas where racial preferences persist and said the investigations would ensure that the most qualified applicants are selected regardless of race. The schools have 30 days to comply with the data requests, though legal experts said they could challenge the scope of the demands in court.