The University of California San Diego School of Medicine has been accused by the Department of Justice of illegally discriminating against applicants based on race to achieve diversity goals. Federal officials stated Monday that the medical school employed a "shadow application process" designed to favor Black and Hispanic applicants, a practice that allegedly violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and recent Supreme Court rulings against racial discrimination in college admissions.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon announced the findings, asserting that "San Diego Med’s blatant efforts to prioritize race are illegal, and we will end these practices." The DOJ probe, which began in March, reviewed internal UC San Diego documents and admissions data from 2019 to the previous year. Investigators concluded that the admissions staff manipulated applicant data, using responses to "hardship" questions as a proxy to identify and provide preferential treatment to Black and Hispanic applicants.
According to the DOJ, this "shadow" system led to admissions decisions being based on race rather than academic qualifications. The investigation found that Black and Hispanic students admitted to the school had, on average, lower GPAs and test scores compared to their white and Asian classmates. Dhillon stated that while Black and Hispanic applicants needed a 3.1 GPA and average test scores for acceptance, white and Asian applicants required a 3.50 GPA and scores in the 83rd percentile or higher. This disparity resulted in admission rates for Black applicants being more than double those for white applicants, the DOJ alleged.
The DOJ has called for UC San Diego School of Medicine to reach a settlement by altering its admissions practices. Failure to do so could lead to a federal lawsuit. School officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the DOJ's findings.