The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced on Thursday, June 4, 2026, that it has launched fifteen new investigations into potential race discrimination in medical school admissions.

This marks a significant expansion of the department’s civil rights enforcement efforts targeting educational institutions. The probes follow recent findings that the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Yale University both illegally used race in their medical school admissions processes.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated, “Many of America’s top medical schools appear more concerned about the demographics of their incoming classes than training students to succeed in the profession.” The division emphasized its commitment to ensuring students become doctors based on merit rather than race, particularly in critical professions where quality of training must be paramount.

Each school under investigation receives millions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding and is bound by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The investigations will assess compliance with federal law as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College. The Department has not reached any conclusions about these matters, clarifying that they represent probes rather than final determinations.

The actions align with guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights, which recently clarified that race-based criteria, racial stereotypes, and practices masking racial preferences violate federal civil rights laws. The agency advised medical schools to ensure policies comply with existing laws and discontinue mechanisms that advance race-based decision-making.

This enforcement initiative follows the Civil Rights Division’s separate investigation into Arizona State University and underscores its determination to treat Supreme Court rulings as binding obligations rather than suggestions that can be circumvented. Fifteen medical schools now face federal scrutiny for potential violations of anti-discrimination statutes in admissions practices.