SAN FRANCISCO — Dhillon said that at UCSF Medical School, MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs had taken a backseat to race. He said aspiring doctors should be admitted based on their qualifications and that the Supreme Court had spoken clearly that federally funded medical schools may not admit students based on misguided and illegal notions of diversity.

The Department of Justice reported that admitted Black students in 2025 had an average MCAT score of 514 and an average GPA of 3.86. Admitted Hispanic students in 2025 had an average MCAT score of 513 and an average GPA of 3.88.

UCSF officials stated that they disagree with the Department of Justice’s assessment. Kristen Bole, Executive Director for Public Affairs, issued a statement defending the school's process.

Bole said admission to the UCSF School of Medicine is among the most selective in the country and that every applicant is evaluated through a rigorous, individualized review process that prioritizes academic excellence. She said academic achievement is fundamental to that review.

She said grades, prior coursework, and MCAT scores are important measures of an applicant’s readiness for a UCSF medical education and that those measures are considered alongside other factors, including clinical experience, research, service, leadership, and other experiences to identify future physicians who will excel in patient care, biomedical discovery, and service to communities across the country.

UCSF Medical School receives nearly $1 billion in federal funding annually, including an $824 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2025. The Department of Justice investigation into UCSF Medical School admissions began on March 30, 2026. During the probe, UCSF Medical School provided 83 documents to the Department of Justice, which the department deemed largely unresponsive.

The Department of Justice cited UCSF Medical School's commitment to reflecting the population of California as evidence of intentional discrimination. The agency identified the Program in Medical Education (PRIME) as a pipeline program favoring underrepresented minority students. According to the Department of Justice, 89 percent of students enrolled in the PRIME program focused on serving urban areas in the 2024–25 academic year were from underrepresented minority groups. Each PRIME cohort includes 23 UCSF students, representing approximately 12 percent of the incoming medical school class.

The Department of Justice gave UCSF until October 2, 2026, to respond regarding a voluntary agreement to change its admissions practices. The Department of Justice stated it would sue UCSF if settlement efforts fail by the October 2, 2026 deadline. UCSF is the fifth institution in the University of California system targeted by the Department of Justice for admissions discrimination.

Why It Matters

The findings align with broader federal actions, including a 2025 report showing that 78% of medical schools surveyed had implemented race-conscious admissions policies post-SFFA, despite legal prohibitions. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who led the DOJ’s investigation into UCSF Medical School, was appointed to lead the Civil Rights Division in 2025 under the Trump administration, which has prioritized enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act against race-conscious admissions policies.

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has previously enforced Title VI against medical schools, including a 2024 settlement with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine over race-based admissions practices. In 2024, the DOJ reached a settlement with the University of California, Davis School of Medicine over similar allegations, requiring the school to eliminate race-based criteria from admissions and pay penalties. In May 2026, the Department of Justice alleged that UCLA's medical school intentionally considered race in admissions for three years, and the university stated its selection process was based on merit and followed the law.

Timeline

Public institutions in California have been prohibited from considering race in admissions since 1996. On September 23, 2026, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said that at UCSF Medical School, MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs had taken a backseat to race. The Department of Justice concluded its investigation into admissions at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical School on September 23, 2026. The Department of Justice alleged that UCSF Medical School discriminated against white and Asian applicants in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants for the incoming classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025. The Department of Justice reported that in 2025, Black applicants were 12.6 times more likely than comparable white applicants to be admitted to UCSF Medical School. In 2025, UCSF Medical School admitted 7% of Black applicants, 4.8% of Hispanic applicants, 1.7% of white applicants, and 2% of Asian applicants.

What's New

NASA amended its regulation implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in July 2026 to remove provisions establishing disparate-impact liability, aligning with recent Department of Justice revisions. The Department of Justice concluded that white and Asian applicants were directly affected by the alleged discrimination at UCSF Medical School, with the school admitting 1.7% of white applicants and 2% of Asian applicants in 2025. In 2025, the acceptance rate for white applicants at UCSF Medical School was 1.7%, and for Asian applicants, it was 2%, compared to 4.8% for Hispanic applicants and 7% for Black applicants.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rescinded its guidelines on Affirmative Action Appropriate Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in July 2026, citing inconsistency with statutory language and Supreme Court precedent.

How Sources Differ

The Department of Justice findings letter to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood stated that in 2025, UCSF Medical School admitted 7% of Black applicants, 4.8% of Hispanic applicants, 1.7% of white applicants, and 2% of Asian applicants.

Regarding doj findings on merit vs race, Dhillon said that at UCSF Medical School, MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs had taken a backseat to race. Justice.gov stated that the DOJ’s findings against UCSF Medical School align with its 2025 report showing that 78% of medical schools surveyed had implemented race-conscious admissions policies post-SFFA, despite legal prohibitions.

The Department of Justice findings letter to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood stated that the Department of Justice concluded its investigation into admissions at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical School on September 23, 2026.

The Department of Justice findings letter to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood stated that the Department of Justice investigation into UCSF Medical School admissions began on March 30, 2026.

The Department of Justice findings letter to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood stated that the Department of Justice reported that in 2025, Latino applicants were 4.6 times more likely than comparable white applicants to be admitted to UCSF Medical School.