The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) claims UC Davis School of Medicine is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against applicants based on race in its admissions process.
In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that using race-conscious college admissions processes was unconstitutional. This ruling prevents colleges and universities — both public and private — from considering applicants’ race as one of multiple factors in admissions decisions.
The DOJ launched an investigation into multiple California university schools, including UC Davis and its medical program. According to a DOJ report, there is both statistical evidence and internal communications supporting the conclusion of a six-month probe into the UC Davis School of Medicine admissions process.
DOJ officials explain in the 12-page report that the school used a scoring system called the “Davis scale,” a tool created by UC Davis that considers applicants’ socioeconomic backgrounds in admissions decisions.
However, the DOJ states the scale is used in a way that disproportionately benefits “underrepresented minorities.” The DOJ found that this scale, while facially race-neutral, was intentionally designed and used as a proxy for race to achieve racial balancing, which is now prohibited under federal law following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
The DOJ cites admissions data from 2019 through 2025, which officials say reveal significant disparities in various academic metrics across racial groups. Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at rates two to nine times higher than white or Asian applicants, despite having lower average GPAs and MCAT scores. This, the department argues, supports the finding of intentional discrimination.
UC Davis not only implemented these practices internally but also actively promoted its admissions model to other medical schools nationwide, thus encouraging them to adopt similar approaches to increase racial diversity despite legal restrictions, according to the DOJ.
The DOJ says it further found the discriminatory practices to be ongoing and supported by broader University of California system policies, which prioritize achieving racial diversity through race-neutral means. The DOJ asserts these methods, when used to achieve specific racial outcomes, still constitute unlawful discrimination under Title VI and the recent rulings.
Officials from UC Davis issued a statement disagreeing with the DOJ’s findings, noting that the school is already contesting the report.
“UC Davis School of Medicine strongly disagrees with any characterization of its admissions practices as discriminatory or inconsistent with applicable law,” a school statement read. “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.”