DOJ accuses GW med school

The U.S. Department of Justice said on August 27 that George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences violated federal civil-rights law by considering race in admissions for its 2024 and 2025 entering classes. The finding came from the department’s Civil Rights Division, which said the school “intentionally discriminated” on the basis of race in granting and denying admission. The case adds George Washington to a growing list of medical schools the department has publicly accused of unlawful race-conscious admissions since the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in *Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard*. ### What, exactly, did the Justice Department say GW did? The Justice Department said George Washington’s medical school used race in admissions decisions for two specific incoming classes — 2024 and 2025. In its August 27 press release, the department said Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars schools that receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin, and said the Supreme Court’s 2023 *SFFA* decision foreclosed the kind of race-conscious admissions practices it says GW used. (justice.gov) The department framed the matter as a compliance review, not a criminal case. Its public statement said the review examined whether the School of Medicine and Health Sciences was complying with Title VI after the *SFFA* ruling. ### Why are the 2024 and 2025 classes central here? The August 27 finding is limited to admissions decisions for the 2024 and 2025 incoming classes. (justice.gov) That matters because the Supreme Court decided *Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard* in June 2023, and the Justice Department’s position is that schools were on notice after that ruling that race-based admissions practices were unlawful under Title VI as interpreted by the court. The department has used the same post-*SFFA* framework in other medical-school investigations this year. In separate findings involving Yale, UCLA, UC Davis and UC San Diego, the department likewise said Title VI, read through the 2023 Supreme Court decision, prohibited the use of race in admissions. ### How did George Washington respond? George Washington University said it received a DOJ letter about the medical school admissions review and was evaluating it. (justice.gov) In a message posted by university leadership, GW said the department had concluded that the School of Medicine and Health Sciences discriminated against Asian and white applicants based on race, and said the university would review the department’s findings and consider next steps. (justice.gov) GW’s public statement also said the inquiry was specific to the School of Medicine and Health Sciences admissions process. The university did not, in the statement surfaced here, concede the department’s legal conclusions. ### How does this fit into the DOJ’s broader campaign? The Justice Department said in May that it had opened 15 additional investigations into possible race discrimination in medical-school admissions. (president.gwu.edu) That announcement followed earlier public findings involving Yale and UCLA, and later findings involving UC Davis and UC San Diego. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said at the time that many top medical schools appeared focused on the demographics of incoming classes. The George Washington finding therefore sits inside a broader enforcement push by the Civil Rights Division aimed specifically at medical schools. The department has been issuing public findings letters, press releases and, in some cases, joining or supporting litigation tied to admissions practices. ### What does the case change for other schools right now? (justice.gov) Title VI applies to colleges and universities that receive federal financial assistance, including medical schools. The department’s recent releases show it is examining admissions files, policies, training materials and class-by-class outcomes when assessing whether schools complied after *SFFA*. For now, the concrete next step is the paper trail. (justice.gov) George Washington said it is reviewing the DOJ’s letter, and the Justice Department is continuing separate admissions investigations at other medical schools it identified in May. Any further action would likely appear first in additional department findings, court filings or university statements. (president.gwu.edu) (justice.gov)