The U.S. Justice Department has accused Yale medical school of discriminating against white and Asian applicants following a year-long probe into diversity practices at the elite university.
“Yale’s documents show that its leadership intentionally selected applicants based on their race,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
With the move, the agency said it was seeking a voluntary agreement with Yale to bring the university’s admissions practices into compliance with federal law.
It specifically alleged that, based on admissions data, “Black and Hispanic students have a much higher chance of admission to Yale than White or Asian students with the same test scores.”
Yale School of Medicine responded to the allegation by saying it was confident in the rigorous admissions process.
Admitted students “demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and personal commitment” and “graduates go on to become leaders in clinical care, research, and public service. We will carefully review the Department of Justice’s letter.”
The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that affirmative action by universities on the basis of race was unlawful but said that they could use statements about the racial experiences of candidates in admissions decisions. The Justice Department cited that ruling in its findings, alleging that Yale had failed to comply.
