The Justice Department on Thursday charged Yale University with unlawfully factoring race into admissions decisions at its medical school - marking the second such accusation against a higher education institution by federal officials this month.

In a formal letter addressed to Yale's legal counsel, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon detailed findings from a DOJ probe. The investigation revealed that Black and Hispanic applicants enjoy significantly elevated admission rates compared to their white and Asian counterparts, even when possessing lower grade-point averages and standardized test results.

"Yale persists with its race-conscious admissions despite the Supreme Court's unequivocal directive for change and widespread public support for reform," Dhillon stated. "This Department remains committed to exposing such unlawful conduct and ensuring that colleges and universities adhere to federal statutes."

Yale responded via statement, expressing full confidence in its "rigorous admissions process" and pledging to examine the DOJ correspondence closely.

"Our admitted students exhibit outstanding academic records and deep personal dedication," the School of Medicine noted. "The curriculum fosters inquiry and analytical skills, producing alumni who lead in patient care, scientific research, and community health initiatives."

Since President Donald Trump's return to the White House last year, his administration has intensified scrutiny on universities over race-based admissions policies, which many conservatives deem discriminatory. This follows a landmark 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited affirmative action in higher education, stemming from challenges against Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

Just last week, the Justice Department issued a similar notice to the University of California, Los Angeles, regarding racial considerations in its medical school admissions.

Dhillon's letter to the New Haven, Connecticut-based institution asserted violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination. The DOJ aims to secure a voluntary compliance agreement but warned of potential litigation to enforce the law if needed.

Evidence included disparities in GPAs and MCAT scores among incoming classes for 2023, 2024, and 2025. For Yale's latest cohort, Black students posted a median GPA of 3.88 and MCAT scores at the 95th percentile, versus 3.98 for Asians and 3.97 for whites - with both groups scoring at the 100th percentile on the MCAT.

"Preliminary analysis of applicant data indicates that a Black candidate faced odds up to 29 times greater for an admissions interview than a comparably qualified Asian applicant," the letter stated.

The Justice Department portrayed Yale's "holistic" review as a mechanism to incorporate race covertly.

Additionally, the letter referenced Yale's amicus brief in the Students for Fair Admissions case behind the 2023 Supreme Court decision. There, Yale argued diversity required overt racial considerations - yet post-ruling classes remained similarly diverse, suggesting prior discrimination, per the DOJ.

Dhillon highlighted the absence of shifts in admissions results after the ruling as evidence of "deliberate noncompliance."

In March, 17 Democratic state attorneys general sued to block a Trump policy mandating data collection from colleges to verify race-neutral admissions.