The U.S. Department of Justice has alleged that the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its admissions process beginning in 2023.

In a letter sent to the university, the Department of Justice alleged that UCLA Law “intentionally discriminated on the basis of race,” in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that prohibited the consideration of race in college admissions.

The Department of Justice alleges that UCLA Law rejected white and Asian applicants with Law School Admission Test scores comparable to those of admitted Black and Hispanic applicants.

In 2024 and 2025, half of admitted Black applicants had LSAT scores at or below 90% of the scores of admitted white applicants, according to the DOJ.

The department further alleges that some white and Asian applicants with lower LSAT scores than admitted Black and Hispanic applicants would have been admitted if they belonged to those racial groups.

“Like many of its peer institutions, 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,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “The use of race as a thumb on the scale that helps or disadvantages any student is illegal.”

UCLA Law denied the allegations and said it remains committed to ensuring its admissions process complies with state and federal law.

“Students are admitted through a comprehensive, merit-based review process that considers each applicant’s achievements and experiences. We are confident in our process,” UCLA Law said in a statement sent by Orli Belman, the assistant dean of communications, to The Center Square.

The DOJ has stated that it wishes to enter into a voluntary resolution agreement with UCLA Law to “ensure that admissions practices are brought into legal compliance.”