A federal investigation into the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) found its medical school allegedly used race intentionally as a factor in its student application process, according to a report released May 6.

“UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence—allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division.

The finding represents the latest clash between the Trump administration and the Southern California institution since last year, after federal investigators focused on removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives instituted in higher education.

“Racism in admissions is both illegal and anti-American, and this Department will not allow it to continue,” Dhillon said.

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA defended its admission practices, saying its process was “based on merit and grounded in a rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant.”

“We are confident in our practices and our mission to maintain access to a high-quality education to all qualified students,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

The medical school was reviewing the DOJ’s report and was “committed to providing equal opportunity to all applicants and fully complying with federal and state laws,” the spokesperson said.

The DOJ issued a letter to the university’s medical school on May 6 notifying officials of the school’s failure to comply with federal civil rights law for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 classes.

Federal law authorizes the DOJ to conduct periodic compliance reviews and investigations of practices and policies of institutions, such as UCLA, that receive federal funding.

The DOJ found the medical school’s internal policies, literature, and email correspondence to leadership consistently demonstrated its intent to use race as a factor in admissions despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2023 in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that found race-based admissions programs were unconstitutional.

The medical school allegedly used different academic metrics to discriminate against all racial groups except black and Hispanic applicants to accept more black and Hispanic applicants into its program, according to the DOJ.

If the DOJ determines that the institution can’t voluntarily change its practices to comply with federal law, the DOJ may seek enforcement through the courts, according to the letter.

A student walks near Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles on April 23, 2012. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The school is also facing a class-action lawsuit filed in May 2025 by Do No Harm, a nonprofit organization opposed to “radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideologies” in health care and medical education.

In the lawsuit, the group also claims UCLA’s medical school has ignored federal law by discriminating against applicants based on race.