DOJ Accuses Yale Med School of Race-Based Admissions

The U.S. Department of Justice accused Yale School of Medicine on Thursday of illegally considering race in its admissions process, marking the second such allegation against a medical school this month.

In a letter to Yale attorney Peter Spivack, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon stated that a DOJ investigation found Black and Hispanic applicants had significantly higher chances of admission than white or Asian applicants with comparable or superior academic credentials. The review examined incoming classes for 2023, 2024 and 2025, citing differences in grade-point averages and MCAT scores as evidence of racial preferences.

For Yale's most recent class, Black students had a median GPA of 3.88 and a median MCAT score in the 95th percentile. In comparison, Asian students recorded a median GPA of 3.98 and white students a median of 3.97, with both groups achieving median MCAT scores in the 100th percentile. The letter noted that a Black applicant had up to 29 times higher odds of securing an interview than an equally qualified Asian applicant.

Dhillon described Yale's holistic admissions approach as a mechanism to factor in race. She referenced the...