By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday that admissions practices at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine were biased in favor
of Black and Hispanic applicants, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on diversity policies at colleges.
The DOJ alleged that UC San Diego's medical school manipulated applicant data to achieve greater racial diversity in student admissions, citing findings of a federal probe.
"San Diego Med's documents show that admissions staff used purportedly 'race-neutral' subjective criteria to deliberately increase admission of so-called 'underrepresented minorities in medicine', which includes Black and Hispanic applicants," the DOJ said in a statement.
The DOJ said it sought a voluntary resolution agreement with the school. "If those efforts fail, the Department will file suit," it added.
UC San Diego said it was reviewing the communication it received from the DOJ and remained committed to following federal law and engaging with the government. It also said the school's applicants "must meet strict academic thresholds, a requirement that is and was applied uniformly to all applicants."
President Donald Trump, who casts diversity goals as anti-merit and as discriminatory against groups like white people and men, has signed executive orders to dismantle those policies in the government and private sector.
Civil rights advocates say diversity practices help address historic inequities for marginalized groups like women, the LGBT community and ethnic minorities.
The Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges and universities in 2023 when it struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.
BROADER CRACKDOWN ON SCHOOLS
Earlier this year, the DOJ cited findings of a similar probe to say admissions practices at the medical schools of the University of California, Los Angeles and Yale University were biased in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants.
Both schools said their admissions practices were "rigorous" and rooted in merit. The DOJ said in June it opened civil rights investigations into 15 medical schools.
The Trump administration has targeted top universities with probes and federal funding suspension threats over a range of issues.
These issues include pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza, diversity initiatives, transgender policies and climate programs. Rights advocates say the crackdown threatens free speech, due process and academic freedom.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
