The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on June 10, 2026, that it found the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine guilty of racially discriminating against its applicants. This determination follows a six-month investigation by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division into the school's admissions practices, which allegedly violated a 2023 Supreme Court decision that prohibited affirmative action in university admissions.
In the case of Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Supreme Court ruled that Harvard University discriminated against Asian American and white applicants in favor of other racial groups, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated, "Davis Med’s actions reflect both unabashed contempt for the rule of law and plain disregard for the potential public health consequences of putting race over merit, skill, and competence." The DOJ indicated that it would pursue legal action if the medical school does not comply with federal law.
The investigation revealed that Davis Med intentionally circumvented the Supreme Court's ruling, with allegations that school leaders discussed 'skirting' the ruling by using socioeconomic variables as proxies for race. The DOJ reported that the school developed a “Davis Scale” for admissions, which ranked applicants based on perceived disadvantages while adjusting the impact of GPA and MCAT scores.
Data from 2023 to 2025 indicated that 93% of white and certain Asian medical students had MCAT scores equal to or above those of their black peers, with black and Hispanic students being admitted at rates up to six times higher than their white and Asian counterparts, despite having lower academic qualifications.
The DOJ's announcement follows its investigations into alleged race-based discrimination at 15 medical schools. In response, UC Davis rejected the DOJ's findings, stating that it disagrees with the characterization of its admissions practices and emphasizes its commitment to a merit-based admissions process and compliance with antidiscrimination laws.