The U.S. Department of Education is investigating St. Louis University School of Medicine, along with four other medical schools, for possible racial discrimination in admissions.
The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights will determine whether SLU violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating based on race, color or national origin.
Many schools seem to be more focused on meeting racial quotas instead of selecting students based on merit, said Kimberly Richey, the department’s assistant secretary for civil rights.
“Schools that engage in such admissions policies are not only violating the law, but they are also undermining the fundamental principles of fairness and meritocracy that define our nation,” Richey said in a statement. “The Trump Administration is holding schools to account for their reported discriminatory behavior and will ensure a future where students are once again rewarded for their hard work and achievement, not prejudged by the color of their skin.”
SLU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Office of Civil Rights is also investigating Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences and William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The five are among a number of medical schools that the Trump administration has targeted in its efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. This week, the Justice Department said it found that the University of California San Diego’s medical school discriminated against white and Asian students in favor of lower-credentialed Black and Hispanic students.
