Overview
- The Justice Department announced on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that a six-month probe found the UC Davis School of Medicine discriminated by using race proxies in its admissions process.
- Investigators say internal documents show leaders boasted about 'skirting' the 2023 Supreme Court ban and that the school created a 'Davis Scale' which ranked applicants by socioeconomic 'disadvantages' and adjusted the weight of GPA and MCAT scores.
- The DOJ’s data review for 2023–2025 found stark disparities, including that 93% of white and some Asian admittees had MCAT scores at or above the average Black admittee and that Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at rates up to six times higher than white and Asian applicants.
- UC Davis disputes the finding, saying its admissions are individualized and merit-based, and the DOJ says it will seek settlement negotiations with the school and will file suit if talks fail.
- The decision follows similar DOJ determinations for UCLA and Yale and signals a wider enforcement effort that could change how medical schools use socioeconomic measures and affect applicants and federal funding compliance.