The exterior of UC Davis Peter J. Shields Library is seen on Sept. 18, 2024 in Davis, Calif. UC Davis rejected the Justice Department’s finding that its medical school discriminated in admissions, setting up a potential federal fight over post-affirmative action admissions rules.
Andri Tambunan/Special to The Chronicle
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday that the UC Davis School of Medicine discriminated based on race in admissions, the latest Trump administration finding against a medical school after the Supreme Court’s 2023 affirmative action ruling.
UC Davis disputed the findings, saying the federal report “does not accurately reflect” its admissions process.
The Justice Department said its six-month investigation found that the school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination by institutions that receive federal money. It said it would seek a voluntary settlement with the university and sue if those talks fail.
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The findings put another University of California campus at the center of the administration’s campaign against admissions practices it says continue to use race after the Supreme Court rejected race-conscious admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
The DOJ reached similar conclusions last month about UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and the Yale School of Medicine.
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In a statement, UC Davis said it “strongly disagrees with any characterization of its admissions practices as discriminatory or inconsistent with applicable law.”
“The report’s findings do not accurately reflect the school’s rigorous, individualized, and merit-based admissions process and our firm commitment to complying with applicable federal and state antidiscrimination laws,” the university said. “UC Davis is fully committed to meeting the critical healthcare needs of California, particularly those in underserved and under-resourced areas.”
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The Justice Department said the investigation examined whether the medical school located in Sacramento complied with federal civil rights law after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. California public universities have also been barred from using race in admissions since voters approved Proposition 209 in 1996.
According to the DOJ’s 12-page findings letter, UC Davis produced documents, correspondence and applicant-level admissions data for 2019 through 2025. After reviewing those materials, the department concluded that the medical school used socioeconomic factors as proxies for race.
Central to the findings is the “Davis Scale,” an admissions tool UC Davis has publicly described as a measure of socioeconomic disadvantage.
UC Davis has said the scale includes factors such as family income, parental education and whether an applicant grew up in an underserved area.
The Justice Department said the scale was used to adjust the weight of GPA and MCAT scores and increase the admission of students from groups underrepresented in medicine. The department cited UC Davis materials and statements describing the school’s goal of building a class that better reflects California and trains doctors to help underserved communities.
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UC Davis has described the scale differently, saying it places academic metrics in context and supports the school’s public mission of educating doctors who are likely to practice in rural and low-income areas.
The Justice Department said admissions data from incoming classes in 2023, 2024 and 2025 showed disparities by race in MCAT scores, GPAs and admissions rates. It said about 93% of white and Asian students admitted during those years had MCAT scores at or above the median score of Black students who were admitted.
UC Davis did not provide a detailed public response Wednesday to the department’s statistical analysis. Its statement said the medical school remains committed to complying with federal and state antidiscrimination laws.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, sharply criticized the school in the department’s announcement.
“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,” Dhillon said.
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The Justice Department said medical schools receive substantial federal assistance and remain subject to federal nondiscrimination laws. It said it would continue monitoring compliance.
The announcement follows the department’s June 4 statement that it had opened 15 additional investigations into possible race discrimination in medical school admissions. The DOJ did not specify what changes it will seek from UC Davis.
The 2023 Supreme Court ruling said universities may not use race as a factor in admissions, but it did not bar schools from considering how an applicant’s life experiences, including experiences related to race, shaped qualities or abilities relevant to admission.