Trump administration investigates race discrimination in UCSD and Stanford admissions

The Trump administration requested admissions records Wednesday from three medical schools, saying it is investigating potential race-based discrimination in their admissions processes.

“At this time, our investigation will focus on possible race discrimination in medical school admissions,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote in letters sent to the universities.

The schools include the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Ohio State’s College of Medicine.

The Department of Justice confirmed to the California Post that the inquiry involves the three universities and that its “initial focus is admissions.”

The schools were served letters outlining specific demands to be met by April 24.

These include providing seven years of applicant data, sharing internal communications about diversity and admissions, and disclosing any correspondence with pharmaceutical companies regarding admissions policies, The New York Times reported Thursday after reviewing the documents.

The requested applicant data includes test scores, home ZIP codes, and any familial relationships to alumni or ties to university donors.

The DOJ directed the Post to Dhillon’s post on X for further comment.

“We did this yesterday. Among other things!” Dhillon wrote on X, sharing a Times article.

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In another post, sharing a picture of a half-covered letter she appeared to be signing with a fountain pen, Dhillon added, “Launching a series of civil rights investigations. Another day in paradise!”

A spokesperson for UC San Diego confirmed the investigation.

“UC San Diego was notified yesterday that the Department of Justice is commencing an investigation, and we are reviewing the notice,” the university said in a statement to the Post. “UC San Diego is committed to fair processes in all of our programs and activities, including admissions, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.”

In a statement to the Post, Cecilia O. Arradaza, Chief Communications Officer for Stanford Medicine, said the university is “reviewing the letter.”

“We are reviewing the letter and will respond appropriately,” she wrote. “Stanford School of Medicine prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.”

Ohio State said it will “respond appropriately.”

“Ohio State is fully compliant with all state and federal regulations and legal rulings regarding admissions. We’ve received the letter and will respond appropriately,” spokesperson Benjamin Johnson told the Post.

Nationally, about 99,400 students were enrolled in U.S. medical schools in the 2025–26 academic year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Roughly 42% identified as white, 28% as Asian, and about 8% as Black.

Some of the universities under scrutiny show different demographic patterns.

California medical schools tend to enroll higher shares of Asian students and lower shares of white students than the national average, the Times reported. For example, about 13% of Stanford’s medical students are Black, compared with roughly 6% at UC San Diego.

For context, in California about 15–18% of residents are Asian American or Pacific Islander and 5–6% are Black, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. 34% are white.

The stakes are significant financially.

Many of these institutions are major recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, one of the federal government’s largest sources of research support, distributing about $35 billion annually — much of it to medical schools.

Stanford received roughly $575 million in NIH grants in 2025, UC San Diego about $427 million, and Ohio State about $210 million, according to the New York-based paper.

This isn’t the first rodeo for the Golden State’s higher-ed institutions under Trump’s scrutiny.

Federal officials have already taken legal action against the University of California system, alleging that UCLA failed to protect Jewish staff during the 2024 campus demonstrations.

The administration has also sought to intervene in a separate case involving UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, arguing the school continued to consider race in admissions despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling restricting the practice.

That scrutiny extends beyond UCLA. Public institutions including Santa Monica College, Sacramento State, Cal Poly Humboldt, and Cal State San Bernardino — along with four University of California campuses (Berkeley, Davis, San Diego, and Santa Barbara) — have faced related federal attention.

Private universities such as Chapman, Pomona, Stanford, and the University of Southern California have also been included.