The U.S. Department of Justice announced findings that the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 admission classes.
According to investigators, the school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on the consideration of race in admissions. The department stated that the law school rejected white and Asian applicants who shared the same LSAT scores as admitted Black and Hispanic applicants.
Data from the investigation showed that across 2024 and 2025 combined, half of the admitted Black applicants had LSAT scores at or below 90 percent of the admitted white applicants. Furthermore, investigators found that the school's application process continued to utilize essays designed to draw out race, and that staff instructed applicants on how to reveal their race during a Diversity Admissions Open House.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon addressed the findings in a statement.
“Like many of its peer institutions, UCLA Law School runs a two-tiered admissions system whose academic bar for acceptance shifts up or down depending on the color of your skin. The use of race as a thumb on the scale that helps or disadvantages any student is illegal. The Department will continue to enforce equal treatment under the law everywhere — including in our nation’s law schools.”
As a recipient of federal funding, UCLA Law is subject to federal civil rights regulations. The Department of Justice stated that it will attempt to reach a settlement with the institution, and will pursue a lawsuit if negotiations fail.
