The Trump administration on Thursday opened civil rights investigations into five medical schools accused of favoring minority applicants over more qualified candidates in violation of federal law.
The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights announced the probes in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The five schools under investigation are Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Saint Louis University, William Carey University and Western University of Health Sciences.
“Your race should not decide whether or not you can study medicine, yet many schools seem to be more focused on meeting racial quotas than selecting individuals who have earned entrance based on merit,” said Kimberly Richey, the Education Department’s assistant secretary for civil rights.
The announcement frames the probes as part of the administration’s broader push to enforce President Trump’s executive orders against diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education.
Schools found in violation of federal civil rights law could lose federal funding for scholarships and grants.
Three of the five schools disputed any wrongdoing in statements Thursday. Dartmouth said the inquiry is “not a finding of wrongdoing” and expressed confidence in its admissions process. East Carolina University said it complies with “all federal, presidential and state anti-discrimination directives,” including the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling striking down racial preferences in college admissions. Western University of Health Sciences said it “complies with all state and federal laws governing its admissions practices.”
The investigations were triggered in part by complaints filed by Do No Harm, an anti-DEI healthcare advocacy group that has also pursued lawsuits against medical schools. The group estimates that 67 of the nation’s 154 accredited medical schools defied Trump’s executive orders last year by keeping or renaming their DEI offices.
“Merit, not race, must be the deciding factor in medical school admissions,” said Ian Kingsbury, director of Do No Harm’s Center for Accountability in Medicine. “Those who continue to practice illegal discrimination must be held to account.”
