The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that it has opened investigations into five medical schools, targeting their admissions practices as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing push against diversity initiatives.
The department’s office for civil rights is now investigating the Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, St. Louis University School of Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, and William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
According to a department statement, the investigations stem from allegations of racial discrimination in the admissions process. However, the statement did not provide additional details or evidence to support those allegations. Officials connected the action to President Donald Trump’s wider crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
East Carolina University responded to local media, saying the school follows both state and federal law as well as court rulings, and that it would cooperate with the Education Department. Dartmouth College also pushed back, expressing confidence in the way it handles admissions.
President Trump has characterized diversity goals as being unfair to groups such as white people and men, calling them anti-merit. He has signed executive orders aimed at dismantling such policies across both government agencies and the private sector.
Advocates for civil rights argue the opposite — that diversity practices exist to correct long-standing inequalities faced by marginalized communities, including women, LGBTQ individuals, and ethnic minorities.
The legal backdrop for these actions includes a landmark 2023 Supreme Court ruling that struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, effectively ending affirmative action at colleges and universities.
The Trump administration has been aggressive in targeting universities on multiple fronts, including threats to suspend federal funding. Issues under scrutiny have ranged from pro-Palestinian campus protests to transgender policies and climate-related academic programs. Civil liberties advocates warn these actions put free speech, due process, and academic freedom at risk.
The Department of Education is not acting alone. The U.S. Department of Justice opened civil rights investigations in June into 15 medical schools over similar concerns. The DOJ has specifically alleged that medical schools at Yale University, the University of California Los Angeles, and the University of California San Diego showed bias in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants. Those schools have defended their processes as fair, merit-based, and rigorous.
