HHS OCR Releases Findings of Civil Rights Investigation into Duke School of Medicine

Investigation Finds Violations of Title VI and Section 1557 in Medical School Admissions

Washington, D.C. — The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today notified Duke School of Medicine that its admission practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VI”) and Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Section 1557”).  As a result of its investigation, OCR found that Duke School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants by using race and race-revealing proxies in its admission practices.

“OCR found that Duke School of Medicine intentionally discriminates against applicants by granting and denying admission based on an applicant’s race, breaking federal anti-discrimination laws,” said Paula M. Stannard, Director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
“In the Trump Administration, we are committed to ensuring that every applicant at a medical school is treated equally. Any kind of discrimination through the admissions process is unacceptable.”

OCR’s violation findings are part of a government-wide effort following President Trump’s January 21, 2025, Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, directing federal agencies to enforce longstanding civil rights laws and combat illegal DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.

On May 6, 2025, OCR issued a Dear Colleague letter to medical schools clarifying that race-based criteria, racial stereotypes, and facially neutral criteria used as a pretext for racial quotas are prohibited under Title VI and Section 1557.  The letter put medical schools on notice of their nondiscrimination obligations and OCR’s investigation priorities, including institutions that use race in their admissions practices or lack clear policies demonstrating compliance with the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, 600 U.S. 181 (2023).

You can read OCR’s violation finding letter at: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/compliance-enforcement/examples/limited-english-proficiency/hhs-ocr-duke-medical-school-admission-civil-rights-violation-letter/index.html.

If you believe that you or someone else has been discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in a program or activity that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with HHS OCR at hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint.

Follow HHS OCR on X at @HHSOCR.

Contact: HHS Press Office, 202-690-6343

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