The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday that a year-long investigation found the Yale School of Medicine discriminated based on race in its admissions process.
The department’s Civil Rights Division said Yale documents showed leadership intentionally selected applicants based on race.
Investigators said the documents also showed Yale studied the use of racial proxies to circumvent the Supreme Court’s prohibition on using race in student selection.
According to the department, admissions data showed Black and Hispanic students had a higher chance of admission than White or Asian students with the same 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.
Dhillon said the department would continue investigating what it described as illegal admissions practices and demand compliance with federal law.
The department said its investigation found Black and Hispanic applicants were generally admitted with lower academic qualifications than White and Asian applicants.
The Justice Department said those findings supported its conclusion that Yale violated federal law by intentionally discriminating based on race in admissions.
The department said it would continue focusing on admissions practices at medical schools receiving federal financial assistance.