UCSF Admissions Discrimination Allegations
DOJ Accuses UCSF Medical School of Illegally Using Race in Admissions
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Key Points
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Federal officials said Black applicants had nearly 13 times better odds of admission than white applicants with similar qualifications in 2025. UCSF admitted 7% of Black applicants and 4.8% of Hispanic applicants, compared with 1.7% of white applicants and 2% of Asian applicants.
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UCSF admits only about 2.5% of more than 10,000 applicants annually, according to federal officials, highlighting the selectivity of the admissions process.
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The DOJ’s cited 2025 academic comparisons included average MCAT scores of 519 for white students and 518 for Asian students, compared with 514 for admitted Black students; average GPAs were 3.95 for white students, 3.93 for Asian students and 3.86 for Black students.
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The UCSF allegations are part of a wider series of DOJ findings involving University of California campuses, including UC Berkeley’s law school and the medical schools at UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Davis; those institutions, like UCSF, have disputed the findings.
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The Justice Department’s notice did not explicitly threaten to cut off UCSF’s federal funding, despite the university receiving nearly $1 billion annually, including $824 million from the National Institutes of Health in 2025 for medical research.
The Justice Department accused UC San Francisco's medical school of illegally using race in admissions decisions for its 2023–25 entering classes, according to Magzter. Federal officials alleged that UCSF favored Black and Hispanic applicants while disadvantaging white and Asian applicants, violating the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on race-conscious admissions. The DOJ said the school admitted 7% of Black applicants, 4.8% of Hispanic applicants, 1.7% of white applicants, and 2% of Asian applicants.
UCSF rejected the findings, saying every applicant receives rigorous, individualized review focused on academic excellence, according to Inside Higher Ed. The Justice Department is demanding a voluntary compliance agreement by October 2 and has threatened to sue if negotiations fail. The university receives nearly $1 billion annually in federal funding, including $824 million from the National Institutes of Health for medical research.
Black Applicants Had 13 Times Better Odds of Admission
Federal officials found stark disparities in UCSF's 2025 admissions data. Black applicants had nearly 13 times better odds of getting in than white applicants with comparable qualifications, American Bazaar Online reported. Admitted Black students had average MCAT scores of 514 and GPAs of 3.86, while admitted white students averaged 519 on the MCAT and 3.95 on the GPA scale.
Asian applicants faced similar disadvantages. Admitted Asian students averaged 518 on the MCAT and 3.93 on the GPA, both higher than admitted Black students but still rejected at roughly the same rate as white applicants. Higher Ed Dive noted the DOJ considered these numerical gaps evidence of race-based discrimination in violation of federal law.
UCSF Competes for Just 2.5% of Medical School Spots
The medical school admits only about 2.5% of more than 10,000 applicants annually, making it one of the nation's most selective programs. This extreme selectivity raises questions about how small differences in test scores influence decisions. The DOJ scrutinized exactly how UCSF weighted race versus academic metrics in choosing among thousands of qualified candidates.
UCSF maintains that race is one factor among many in a holistic review. The school says it seeks diverse classes to serve all communities and prepare doctors for a varied patient population. However, Becker's Hospital Review reported the DOJ investigation found that race played a larger role than UCSF's published policies suggested.
Trump Administration Targets Diversity Across Higher Education
The UCSF case is part of President Trump's broader push to challenge diversity programs at universities. The Justice Department has also accused medical schools at UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Davis of similar discrimination, according to Inside Higher Ed. UC Berkeley's law school faces the same allegations. All these institutions have disputed the DOJ's conclusions.
Civil rights advocates argue that race-conscious admissions help remedy longstanding inequities in education and healthcare. They warn that eliminating such policies will reduce diversity among doctors, harming underserved minority communities. The DOJ's notice did not explicitly threaten to cut federal funding, but the threat remains implicit given UCSF's heavy reliance on government research dollars.
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