Yale Reportedly Looking To Settle With Trump Admin Over Race-Based Admissions Probe

Yale University is seeking a settlement with the Trump administration while facing a federal investigation into whether its admissions practices violate anti-discrimination law. According to University Herald, the Ivy League school recently hired a prominent law firm to negotiate a settlement with the administration.

Why is the Trump administration investigating Yale University?

The Trump administration initially launched an investigation into the Yale School of Medicine, alleging that its admissions practices violated federal civil rights law by discriminating on the basis of race. Since then, however, the DOJ has expanded its investigation to several of the school’s other departments.

In May, the DOJ said Yale’s medical school is violating civil rights law by “intentionally discriminating based on race in its admissions.” The school, according to the DOJ, gave Black and Hispanic applicants a significantly higher chance of admission than White and Asian applicants with similar test scores. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon led the investigation and concluded that the school violated the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which bars colleges from considering race in admissions decisions.

How is Yale responding to the accusations?

Yale has hired Virginia-based law firm McGuireWoods as it looks to settle the case with the Trump administration. Although the university has submitted a formal proposal, the status of the settlement is not yet known, University Herald reported.

According to The New York Times, Yale defended itself in a statement issued Friday. The university said its medical school follows “a rigorous admissions process” and that its students demonstrate “exceptional academic achievement and personal commitment.”

Yale is one of more than 50 universities under investigation as the Trump administration continues its anti-DEI campaign. Trump signed three executive orders early in his second term as part of his effort to end programs designed to encourage diversity, equity and inclusion.