DOJ alleges UCLA Law gave preferential admission to Black and Hispanic applicants
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division says UCLA School of Law unlawfully favored Black and Hispanic candidates over white and Asian applicants for the 2023-2025 classes.
A Department of Justice probe concluded that UCLA School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its 2023, 2024 and 2025 admission cycles, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The investigation revealed that the school’s application includes essay prompts designed to elicit racial information, and admissions staff advised prospective students on how to disclose their race during targeted recruitment.
The DOJ found that applicants of white and Asian background with LSAT scores matching those of admitted Black and Hispanic students were turned away, while roughly half of admitted Black students scored at or below 90 % of the scores of admitted white students. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon described the practice as an illegal “thumb on the scale.” UCLA Law did not provide a comment when contacted. The department said it will continue to enforce equal treatment in law school admissions nationwide.
Why it matters
The case could reshape how U.S. law schools consider race in admissions and affect future diversity policies.
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