The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division found that UC San Diego School of Medicine discriminated based on race in its admissions process, violating Title VI and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. Investigators say the school manipulated applicant data and used a parallel shadow process with race-correlated proxies to boost Black and Hispanic admissions, while denying admission to white and Asian applicants with higher credentials. Applicants were sorted into groups and subgroups based on subjective hardship responses rather than objective metrics like MCAT scores or GPA. The DOJ indicated it would pursue a voluntary resolution and monitor compliance, with settlement negotiations possible if violations continue. This action fits into broader federal scrutiny of diversity policies in higher education under the current administration. UC San Diego said it is reviewing the communication and remains committed to complying with federal law and applying academic thresholds uniformly.