Exclusive | Elite San Francisco medical school discriminated against white, Asian applicants: DOJ

A top California medical school is the latest institution to come into the Department of Justice’s crosshairs for alleged racial discrimination — and millions in federal funds could be at risk.Federal investigators are accusing University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) officials of illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants, giving black candidates almost 13 times better odds of admission than white students with similar qualifications in 2025, the California Post has learned.Harmeet K.
Dhillon, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, sent a blistering nine-page findings letter Tuesday to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, telling the prestigious medical school to come to terms on a resolution or face a lawsuit and other enforcement actions.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.
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Never miss a story “Unfortunately, at UCSF Medical School, MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs have taken a backseat to race,” Harmeet K.Dhillon, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told The Post in a statement. “Aspiring doctors should be admitted based on their qualifications.
The Supreme Court has spoken clearly — federally funded medical schools may not admit students based on misguided and illegal notions of diversity.”The Justice Department also found that on average, black and Hispanic students admitted between 2023 and 2025 had lower test scores and undergraduate grades than the average white and Asian applicant the school rejected.UCSF admits just 2.5% of more than 10,000-plus annual applicants.But 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, according to federal off...