Justice Department Says George Washington's Medical School Used Essay Questions to Identify Applicants' Race

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced on Aug. 27, 2026 that the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences intentionally discriminated by race in admitting its 2024 and 2025 classes, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The department said that after the university barred preferences based on self-reported check-box race data, the medical school used essay questions "designed to elicit information about an applicant's race or ethnicity" and used that information to select applicants for interviews.\n\nThe finding extends an enforcement campaign that has already reached Duke Law and Harvard, and it carries the leverage of federal financial assistance. The department's statistical conclusions about interview probabilities and test scores have not been tested in court, and the university disputes them.\n\nAssistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the practices "reveal an intent to prioritize racial diversity over merit." The department said it is engaging in settlement negotiations and will sue if they fail. The university said it was disappointed by the conclusions, which it believes are incorrect, and that its admissions process complies with federal law.