Yale weighs DOJ deal over alleged race discrimination in admissions

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said on May 14, 2026, that its year-long review found Yale School of Medicine violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Yale University is in talks with the department over a possible voluntary resolution after the federal finding accusing the school of race discrimination in admissions.

Yale President Maurie McInnis said on July 13, 2026, that the department’s inquiry also includes pending investigations into Yale College and Yale Law School. McInnis called the process "required" and "reasonable" and said Yale was acting in good faith, even as the university continued to deny the allegations.

The department said the finding covered the incoming classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025, and relied on Yale documents and data in concluding that Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted with consistently lower academic qualifications than White and Asian counterparts. The finding came nearly three years after the Supreme Court’s June 29, 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard barred race-based affirmative action in college admissions.

Faculty, students, alumni and some Connecticut officials have urged Yale to resist any settlement, arguing that concessions could damage shared governance, academic freedom and the university’s independence. Yale Law School’s dean and faculty have also opposed a possible deal, and some professors have threatened legal action if the university signs a settlement. An organized phone bank opposing a deal drew 60 participants.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he had spoken with McInnis twice about the matter and that a second offer between Yale and the Trump administration was pending.