The Justice Department says UCLA's law school ran a two-tiered admissions system — and now the school faces a federal lawsuit if it doesn't change.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Division found the UCLA School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 classes, violating Title VI and the Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions ruling. The headline finding: the school rejected white and Asian applicants with the same LSAT scores as admitted black and Hispanic applicants. In 2024 and 2025 combined, half of admitted black applicants had LSAT scores at or below 90% of admitted white applicants.
"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," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division.
Investigators also found admissions essays were designed to draw out applicants' race, with staff coaching students on revealing it at events like the "Diversity Admissions Open House."
UCLA Law disputes the findings, citing a "merit-based review" process: "We are confident in our process."
What to watch next: whether UCLA comes into compliance — or becomes the first law school sued by the DOJ in this new wave of admissions enforcement.