Department of Justice Investigating Medical School Admissions

On Wednesday March 25, 2026, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched investigations into medical school admissions policies at Stanford University, the University of California, San Diego, and the Ohio State University. While the DOJ has not commented on the investigations, representatives of all three universities confirmed they received the letters, and Ohio State University shared a copy of the letter they received.

According to the letter, the DOJ is conducting a compliance review investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The amount of information being requested from the schools is wide-ranging and goes back seven years according to news reports. In addition to applicant admissions data (applicant test scores, GPAs, extracurricular activities, essays, demographics, and admissions outcomes), the DOJ is requesting ‘any and all documents guiding medical school admissions policies and procedures, including any documents related to the use or lack of use of race in evaluating applicants.’

The letter also requests documents related to any changes in policies or procedures after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v President & Fellows of Harvard College, which found some race-based admission policies unlawful. Finally, the letter requests any ‘statistical analyses or internal reviews’ of admissions trends or outcomes by race conducted by the university. Despite the significant amount of data being requested, the schools are being given about one month to respond, with a due date of April 24, 2026.

These investigations into medical school admissions follow previous inquires by the Trump administration into higher education admissions data, including the new ACTS survey tool which requires reporting of seven years admissions data by many higher education institutions (now subject to a temporary stay for some institutions due to litigation by 17 states.) These activities signal that the DOJ is not relenting when it comes to higher education, despite mixed success with prior demands.

The request for expansive amounts of data from these schools also backs up what was recently shared by a DOJ official at a recent conference
– the DOJ is using data to investigate potential discrimination, whether it be in higher education admissions or private employers’ employee data. Employers of all types should continue to both gather and analyze applicant and employment data to identify any risks, either from potential DOJ investigations or individual employee complaints. Higher education institutions should also consider undertaking reviews of their admissions data given the Administration’s current focus.