The Department of Justice has alleged that Yale School of Medicine engages in discriminatory admissions practices, claiming the institution gives preference to Black and Hispanic applicants over white and Asian candidates with comparable academic credentials.

The findings were issued following a yearlong federal investigation that examined Yale’s internal admissions data and policies to assess compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that barred race-based consideration in admissions decisions.

“Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement. “This Department will continue to shed light on these illegal practices, and demand that institutions of higher education comply with federal law.”

Yale representatives did not immediately provide a response when contacted for comment.

According to the Justice Department, documents obtained from Yale indicate that university leadership deliberately factors race into admissions decisions and has explored the use of race-based proxies in an effort to work around the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In a six-page letter, Dhillon stated that Yale employs “holistic metrics” in its admissions process, which include consideration of “race” and “national origin.”

“Yale uses its holistic-review procedure to uncover and then use applicants’ race through direct and indirect means. It then conducts interviews that enable the committee to know applicants’ race and ethnicity,” Dhillon wrote. “Race preferences elevate Black and Hispanic applicants in the admissions process.”

The DOJ further reported that it analyzed academic data such as grade-point averages and standardized test scores across different racial groups. It concluded that Yale’s “use of race resulted in a Black applicant being as much as 29 times higher odds of getting an interview for admission than an equally strong Asian applicant with similar academic credentials.”

“This consistent difference in the test scores between students of different racial groups is substantial and cannot be explained by a coincidence,” the DOJ said.

The release of Yale’s investigation findings follows similar conclusions earlier this month from a separate DOJ review of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The actions are part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to reshape college admissions policies, particularly at elite medical schools, which officials argue place excessive emphasis on diversity initiatives.

In March, the Justice Department also opened investigations into admissions practices at the medical schools of Stanford University, the University of California, San Diego, and Ohio State University.