WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) – The Trump administration has opened investigations into admissions policies at three major medical schools, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two administration officials and documents it reviewed.
The investigations into medical schools at Stanford University, Ohio State University and the University of California, San Diego, will focus on “possible race discrimination in medical school admissions,” the Times reported, quoting a letter from Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.
The Times said the government is seeking information about medical school applicants from each of the past seven years, including test scores and home ZIP codes, as well as copies of internal university messages about diversity, equity and inclusion and correspondence between school officials and pharmaceutical companies about admissions policies.
The government demanded the schools provide the data by April 24 or risk losing federal funding, according to the Times.
Ohio State University, Stanford University, the University of California, San Diego, and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Since taking office for his second term in January 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to withhold federal funds from universities over issues including pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, diversity initiatives and transgender policies.
The administration has launched multiple investigations and lawsuits against universities, particularly focusing on whether schools illegally consider race in admissions after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that ended affirmative action in higher education.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Caitlin Webber)
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