Justice Department accuses Ohio State medical school of racial discrimination in admission

<img src="https://jiuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ffda738a-9a28-4dd4-8af1-15c967a07556-large16x9_OhioStateCollegeofMedicinecourtesytheohiostateuniversity.jpg” alt=”Ohio State College of Medicine – courtesy the ohio state university.jpg”>
Justice Department accuses Ohio State medical school of racial discrimination in admission (Courtesy: The Ohio State University College of Medicine)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) —The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing The Ohio State University College of Medicine of discriminating against white and Asian applicants in its admissions process for incoming classes in 2023, 2024 and 2025

In a statement released Thursday, the Justice Department said its investigation found the medical school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or color, and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning race-based admissions practices

Ohio State disagrees with the findings and says its admissions process complies with the law

“The university is in full compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling and all federal and state laws and regulations regarding admissions,” the university said in a statement to ABC 6. “The College of Medicine does not consider race, ethnicity or any other protected class during the admissions process. Ohio State follows the law and will contest these findings.”

The Justice Department said Ohio State uses a “Holistic Approach” to evaluate applicants, with screeners scoring candidates based on attributes, experiences and academic metrics. Applicants may also be required to participate in an interview as part of the admissions process

According to the department’s findings, Black applicants who are screened and interviewed are about 2.8 times more likely to be admitted than Asian applicants with equal credentials

The investigation also identified what the department described as a separate pathway that allows some applicants to receive admission without a screener score or an interview

The Justice Department said that, in 2024 and 2025 combined, Black applicants using this pathway were four times more likely to be admitted than white applicants, while no Asian applicants were admitted through it

“Despite SFFA, OSU Med allows some applicants to bypass its own screening process and skip interviews solely because of the color of their skin,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement

Dhillon said admissions processes must apply equally to all applicants, regardless of race, and called the use of a separate admissions process based on race illegal under federal law

The department said medical schools that receive federal financial assistance must comply with federal nondiscrimination laws, including the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in <a href="https://jiuniversity.com/kti-landmark-tar-umt-ink-mou-to-explore-student-housing-in-kota-kinabalu/” title=”KTI Landmark, TAR UMT ink MoU to explore student housing in Kota Kinabalu”>Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard

The Justice Department said it will pursue settlement negotiations with schools where it finds violations to bring admissions practices into compliance. If those efforts fail, the department said it will file a lawsuit

Ohio State said it will contest the findings

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Source: abc6onyourside.com