DOJ finds George Washington University medical school discriminated in admissions
TheGrio...
The DOJ says George Washington University’s medical school unlawfully used race in admissions for its 2024 and 2025 classes. The university disputes the finding.
The U.S. Department of Justice has accused George Washington University’s medical school of illegally considering race in admissions, escalating the Trump administration’s broader campaign against race-conscious practices in higher education.
In a finding announced Aug. 27, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences intentionally discriminated on the basis of race when evaluating applicants for its 2024 and 2025 incoming classes. The department said the practices violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
Inside Higher Ed, which first detailed the latest federal finding, reported that the department’s investigation focused on how the medical school evaluated applicants after the Supreme Court barred race-based admissions preferences.
According to the DOJ, admissions officials used essay responses to obtain information about applicants’ racial or ethnic backgrounds and then used that information in decisions about who would receive interviews.
The department said Black applicants had a significantly greater likelihood of receiving interviews than comparable Asian applicants and received higher interview scores.
It also said Black students admitted during the two years had significantly lower MCAT scores than white and Asian applicants, and alleged that the school rejected some white and Asian candidates in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants with lower credentials. The findings are disputed by the university.
GW President Ellen Granberg said the school was “disappointed by the DOJ’s conclusions” and that the university “firmly believe[s]” them to be incorrect. In a statement released Aug. 28, Granberg said the School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ admissions process complies with federal law and that the university was reviewing the DOJ’s letter.
The dispute comes as federal officials intensify scrutiny of medical-school admissions nationwide. The DOJ says medical schools receiving federal financial assistance must comply with Title VI and the Supreme Court’s ruling against race-conscious admissions. Where investigators identify violations, the department says it is pursuing settlement negotiations and could file lawsuits if those efforts fail.
For GW, the immediate issue is no longer simply how its admissions process is perceived. The university must now respond to a federal civil-rights finding that it says is fundamentally wrong, while the DOJ weighs what enforcement action, if any, should follow.