The Justice Department announced Thursday that an investigation lasting more than a year concluded that Yale School of Medicine unlawfully considered race in its admissions decisions, despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling prohibiting race-conscious admissions policies in higher education.

In a statement released by the department’s Civil Rights Division, federal officials accused Yale administrators of deliberately factoring race into admissions choices and attempting to rely on what the department described as “racial proxies” in order to work around the Supreme Court’s decision.

Investigators said admissions records indicated that Black and Hispanic applicants were accepted at higher rates than white and Asian applicants who posted similar academic credentials and test scores.

“Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon 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.”

Federal officials also said their review found that Black and Hispanic applicants were “admitted with consistently lower academic qualifications” than white and Asian applicants, which the department said constituted intentional discrimination prohibited under federal law.

The findings represent another step in the Trump administration’s broader campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at colleges and universities across the country.

Following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, conservative legal organizations and federal authorities have intensified scrutiny of admissions procedures at universities, including medical and professional schools.

The Justice Department emphasized that institutions receiving taxpayer funding are obligated to follow federal anti-discrimination laws while educating future doctors.

“Medical schools use substantial federal financial assistance to train the next generation of doctors,” the department said.

“The Department is continuing its focus on eradicating illegal race politics from admissions at medical schools, where quality and excellence are vitally important to public safety.”

Although the department did not announce any immediate penalties or lawsuits against Yale, officials said efforts would continue to ensure colleges and universities comply with federal civil rights requirements.

Yale did not immediately issue a response Thursday after being asked for comment.

The Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling struck down admissions systems used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, with the justices determining that race-based admissions practices violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

That decision prompted schools across the nation to overhaul longstanding admissions policies that had considered race as one factor in evaluating applicants.