DOJ Alleges UCLA Law School Discriminated By Race In Admissions

Authored by Aaron Gifford via The Epoch Times,

The University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law allegedly denied admission to whites and Asians in favor of lower-performing black and Hispanic applicants, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Under federal Civil Rights Laws and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled against affirmative action practices in university admissions, the public institution could lose federal funding if it doesn’t take corrective actions, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in an Oct. 1 news release.

“Like many of its peer institutions, UCLA Law School runs a two-tiered admissions system whose academic bar for acceptance shifts up or down depending on the color of your skin,” she said. “The use of race as a thumb on the scale that helps or disadvantages any student is illegal. The Department will continue to enforce equal treatment under the law everywhere – including in our nation’s law schools.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) reviewed student application materials for the incoming classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025, which included personal statements and essay prompts that allegedly are designed to “elicit information about race.”

Additionally, UCLA Law admissions staff allegedly instructed prospective students how to reveal their race in those sections of the application. This happened during race-based recruitment events, such as the Diversity Admissions Open House, Dhillon said.

Investigators also said they found that the university rejected white and Asian applicants who had the same LSAT scores as admitted black and Hispanic candidates. For 2024 and 2025 combined, half of the admitted black applicants had LSAT scores that were at or below 90 percent of the admitted white applicants, according to the news release.

The DOJ also reviewed internal university documents that Dhillon said showed intent to discriminate. This includes a statement allegedly from an assistant dean: “We are proud of the fact that 58 percent of this year’s incoming class are students of color.”

Another document from an assistant dean of admissions allegedly said, “If information about your ethnic/racial background would be helpful for law schools to gain a better sense of who you are, include it.”

Dhillon said in a letter to UCLA officials disclosing the findings of her investigation that the University of California higher education system doubled down on its commitment to affirmative action practices after the 2023 Supreme Court decision, issuing a memo from the president’s office that read, “student diversity remains a top priority for the University of California.”

The DOJ examined seven years of UCLA Law applicant data, from 2019 to 2025, and found that the university did not “meaningfully change its admissions practices” in response to the Supreme Court decisions.

The federal agency recently announced similar investigative findings at UCLA Medical School, UC David Medical School, UC San Diego Medical School, George Washington University Medical School, Yale University Medical School, Duke University Law School, and UC Berkeley Law School.

Dhillon said her agency will engage in settlement negotiations with UCLA to bring the university’s admissions practices into compliance. If those efforts fail, the DOJ will file a lawsuit.

UCLA Law School issued a statement on Oct. 1, maintaining that its admissions practices are not unlawful or discriminatory.

“UCLA School of Law is committed to making admissions decisions in compliance with all applicable laws, including the California Constitution and Proposition 209, federal statutes, and the U.S. Constitution,” the statement said. “Students are admitted through a comprehensive, merit-based review process that considers each applicant’s achievements and experiences. We are confident in our process.”