NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Justice Department investigation finds that Yale University is discriminating against Asian American and white applicants, in violation of federal civil rights law.
The findings were detailed in a letter to the college’s attorneys Thursday. The letter was obtained by the Associated Press. It marks the latest action by the Trump administration aimed at rooting out discrimination in the college application process, following complaints from students about the application process at some Ivy League colleges.
The Justice Department says the two-year investigation concluded that Yale “rejects scores of Asian American and white applicants each year based on their race, whom it otherwise would admit.”
Yale released a statement regarding the investigation refuting the findings, saying the university's practices comply with the decades of Supreme Court precedent.
Read the statement below:
Today, Yale received a letter from the Department of Justice accusing the university of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Asian American and white applicants in its undergraduate admissions practices. Yale categorically denies this allegation.
Yale has cooperated fully with the DOJ’s investigation of Yale’s admissions practices. We have produced a substantial amount of information and data, and we are continuing to do so.
Given our commitment to complying with federal law, we are dismayed that the DOJ has made its determination before allowing Yale to provide all the information the Department has requested thus far. Had the Department fully received and fairly weighed this information, it would have concluded that Yale’s practices absolutely comply with decades of Supreme Court precedent.
At Yale, we look at the whole person when selecting whom to admit among the many thousands of highly qualified applicants. We take into consideration a multitude of factors, including their academic achievement, interests, demonstrated leadership, background, success in taking maximum advantage of their secondary school and community resources, and the likelihood that they will contribute to the Yale community and the world. We are proud of Yale’s admissions practices, and we will not change them on the basis of such a meritless, hasty accusation.