Trump Investigates Medical Schools – UC Davis Still Massively DEI

The Trump administration has opened a new front in its campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in higher education, accusing the UC Davis School of Medicine of using admissions policies that discriminated on the basis of race. After a six-month investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that the Sacramento-based medical school lowered academic standards in order to admit more Black students, a finding that UC Davis strongly disputes.

The case is significant because it represents one of the most aggressive efforts yet by the administration to enforce the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning race-conscious admissions. It also signals that federal officials intend to pursue schools they believe have attempted to preserve DEI objectives through alternative methods.

The Investigation

According to the Sacramento Bee, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division spent six months investigating admissions practices at the UC Davis School of Medicine. The department concluded that the school had engaged in race discrimination and had adopted policies designed to increase the enrollment of underrepresented minority students despite legal restrictions on the use of race in admissions decisions.

The DOJ said its review found evidence that UC Davis lowered admissions standards to admit more Black students. Specifically, the department examined admissions data from 2023, 2024, and 2025 and reported that white and Asian students who were admitted had higher average GPAs and Medical College Admission Test scores than admitted Black students.

Federal investigators argue that these outcomes were not accidental but were the result of deliberate admissions policies designed to produce a desired racial outcome.

The Davis Scale

According to the Justice Department, UC Davis developed what it called the “Davis Scale,” a system intended to increase the admission of what the school referred to as underrepresented minorities.

The DOJ alleges that the scale ranked applicants according to various forms of disadvantage while reducing the influence of traditional academic measures such as GPA and MCAT scores. Among the factors considered were family income, parental education levels, and whether applicants received need-based scholarships.

Federal officials contend that these factors were used as proxies for race. The department said school leaders openly discussed using class-based and socioeconomic variables to achieve diversity goals after the Supreme Court restricted the direct use of race in admissions.

The DOJ stated that these practices allowed the school to continue pursuing racial outcomes while attempting to avoid the legal limitations imposed by the Court.

Conflict With Supreme Court Rulings

At the center of the dispute is the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.

In that decision, the Court held that race-conscious admissions programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling effectively ended the use of race as a factor in college admissions nationwide.

The Justice Department argues that UC Davis attempted to circumvent that decision rather than comply with it. According to the department, the school’s leadership sought alternative methods to achieve many of the same racial outcomes that the Supreme Court had prohibited.

Because UC Davis receives substantial federal funding, federal officials say it must comply not only with constitutional principles but also with federal civil rights laws that prohibit racial discrimination.

Harmeet Dhillon’s Warning

One of the strongest statements came from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who heads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Davis Med’s actions reflect both unabashed contempt for the rule of law and plain disregard for the potential public health consequences of putting race over merit, skill, and competence,” Dhillon said.

She added, “The department will not allow schools to violate federal law without consequence.”

Dhillon has become one of the leading figures in the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle DEI programs that federal officials believe result in discrimination. Her comments suggest the administration views the UC Davis case not as an isolated incident but as part of a broader pattern within higher education.

To support its conclusion regarding intent, the DOJ cited a 2023 social media post from UC Davis Chancellor Gary May stating, “Diversity saves lives.”

Federal investigators included the statement as part of the evidence they believe demonstrates a continuing institutional commitment to race-conscious outcomes.

UC Davis Pushes Back

UC Davis rejects the Justice Department’s conclusions.

A university spokesperson said the school “strongly disagrees with any characterization of its admissions practices as discriminatory or inconsistent with applicable law.”

The university further stated that the DOJ’s findings “do not accurately reflect the school’s rigorous, individualized, and merit-based admissions process and our firm commitment to complying with applicable federal and state antidiscrimination laws.”

UC Davis maintains that its admissions policies are legal and that its efforts are focused on meeting California’s healthcare needs, particularly in underserved and under-resourced communities.

The school has also argued that its recruitment efforts, scholarship programs, and consideration of socioeconomic challenges are consistent with both California’s ban on affirmative action and the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The Justice Department says it will now enter settlement negotiations with UC Davis.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the department has warned that litigation will follow.

A lawsuit could potentially expose the university to court orders requiring changes to admissions practices and could create a major legal precedent for other medical schools around the country.

The administration has also indicated that it will continue monitoring institutions that receive federal funding to ensure compliance with federal civil rights law.

A Broader National Crackdown

UC Davis is not the only medical school facing scrutiny.

The Justice Department has already announced findings against Yale School of Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where officials similarly alleged admissions practices violated federal civil rights law.

In March, Stanford School of Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, and UC San Diego School of Medicine reportedly received investigation letters from the administration.

Last week, the Justice Department announced that it had opened investigations into 15 additional medical schools to determine whether they were complying with the Supreme Court’s ban on race-conscious admissions. Reuters reported that the department did not identify the schools, but said each institution receives millions of dollars in federal funding.

The expanding investigations suggest the administration intends to continue its aggressive challenge to DEI-related admissions policies nationwide. For supporters of the effort, the UC Davis case represents evidence that some universities attempted to preserve race-based admissions through indirect means after the Supreme Court ruled against them. For opponents, it raises questions about how schools can pursue diversity goals while remaining within the boundaries of federal law.

Either way, the outcome of the UC Davis case is likely to become a major test of how far the Trump administration is willing to go in its effort to reshape admissions policies at America’s medical schools.