UCLA Law Faces DOJ Probe Over Admissions Discrimination

A recent investigation by the Department of Justice has indicated that UCLA School of Law has engaged in unlawful discrimination in its admissions process based on race, as reported initially by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has alleged that the law school discriminated against white and Asian students while admitting individuals to the incoming classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025. This alleged behavior breaches Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which disallows racial discrimination in admissions.

According to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, “UCLA Law School operates a two-tiered admissions system whose standards for acceptance fluctuate based on an applicant’s race.” He added that using race to influence admissions decisions, either positively or negatively, is illegal.

Dhillon further emphasized the Department’s commitment to uphold equal treatment under the law across all educational institutions, including law schools. As of now, UCLA Law has not provided any comments in response to the allegations.

The investigation revealed that UCLA Law’s application process includes personal statements and essay prompts designed to gather information about applicants’ racial backgrounds. Admissions personnel reportedly guided prospective students on how to incorporate race into these application sections during specific recruitment initiatives.

Moreover, evidence showed that UCLA Law turned down white and Asian applicants who had identical LSAT scores as black and Hispanic applicants who were accepted. Notably, for the admitted black applicants during 2024 and 2025, half of them had LSAT scores that were at or below 90% of the scores of admitted white applicants, according to the DOJ’s findings.

This isn’t the first time the DOJ has filed against UCLA; in May, it announced a lawsuit against the university for allegedly fostering an “antisemitic hostile educational environment.” This suit followed earlier legal action over similar claims. Recently, UCLA sought to have the antisemitism lawsuit dismissed, arguing that civil rights laws are being manipulated by political agendas, as reported by The New York Times.

The current administration has increased scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, along with racial preferences in education. Earlier in September, new regulations were introduced by the Treasury Department and the IRS that would revoke tax-exempt status for private schools engaging in racial discrimination rather than promoting merit-based admissions.

Additionally, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 aimed at “ending illegal discrimination” and reinstating “merit-based opportunity” across the United States.