The Trump administration has launched civil rights investigations into admissions policies at Stanford, Ohio State, and UC San Diego medical schools, demanding seven years of applicant data including test scores, ZIP codes, and diversity-related communications. The Justice Department's letters, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, threaten to cut federal funding if the schools fail to comply by April 24.

These probes mark an expansion of the administration's campaign against higher education, targeting the scientific establishment that receives billions in federal research funding. Medical schools have largely been spared from previous investigations focused on campus culture and antisemitism, but the administration is now using its financial leverage to influence the racial composition of future physicians.

The investigations come as medical schools receive substantial NIH grants - Stanford got $575 million in 2025, UC San Diego $427 million, and Ohio State $210 million. With medical school classes typically under 300 students, the administration's data demands raise privacy concerns about identifying individual applicants.