Ohio State disputes medical school admissions discrimination finding

Ohio State University (OSU) is disputing allegations from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that it is discriminating in the admissions process for its medical school.

The DOJ sent a letter Wednesday to the OSU College of Medicine alleging the school intentionally discriminated against applicants on the basis of race, particularly Asian applicants, to the benefit of Black and Hispanic students.

DOJ said OSU Medicine’s standard screening process had “super screeners” who know an applicant’s race. The government alleges Black applicants are almost three times more likely than Asian ones to be admitted through this process.

Black applicants are also four times more likely than white ones to be admitted through a “side door” that involved no screener or interview, according to the DOJ. No Asian students were admitted through this process.

DOJ said officials at OSU Medicine also discussed using racial proxies in admissions.

“Based on our review of OSU Medicine’s documents and data, the Department finds that OSU Medicine continues to intentionally discriminate against applicants based on their race after the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA by granting and denying admission on the basis of race,” the letter reads.

OSU said it “strongly disagrees” with the assertions.

“The university is in full compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling and all federal and state laws and regulations regarding admissions. The College of Medicine does not consider race, ethnicity or any other protected class during the admissions process. Ohio State follows the law and will contest these findings,” a spokesperson for the university said.

DOJ says it wants the school to enter a voluntary resolution agreement to resolve the matter, or it will pursue legal action.