Is the University of Colorado Running a Discriminatory Medical Degree Program?

A small number of medical schools are offering joint baccalaureate-MD programs, in which high school students are admitted into programs where they can earn both an undergraduate and a medical degree.

But the University of Colorado Denver’s (CU Denver) BA/BS-MD program, operated in partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is a little different. 

The program’s eligibility criteria state that the program is “focused” on Colorado high school seniors who are from “ethnic groups who are currently under-represented in the medical community in Colorado,” as well as from educationally and financially disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The ethnic groups deemed “under-represented” include ​​​​​​​​​​​Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, and Vietnamese.

To be clear, the university makes sure to attach a disclaimer to its eligibility criteria assuring the public that it does not practice overt racial discrimination.

“The University of Colorado BA/BS-MD Program conducts its review practices holistically; in a manner which treats each applicant fairly, on the basis of experience, attributes and metrics without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, in accordance with federal law,” the disclaimer reads. 

But questions remain all the same. How, exactly, does CU Denver plan to “focus” on individuals from these ethnic backgrounds? 

Moreover, the web page advertising the program makes clear that CU Denver has swallowed the DEI agenda hook, line, and sinker, noting that the university will “pursue practices that advance equity, inclusion, and access.”

The University of Colorado School of Medicine also made clear it was “disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to prohibit the limited consideration of an applicant’s racial or ethnic background in admissions decisions” in a statement last year, pledging to continue its efforts to advance DEI.

The medical school also previously scrubbed racially discriminatory eligibility criteria from several of its scholarships after Do No Harm filed a federal civil rights complaint.

When considering this context, the university’s decision to “focus” its degree program on certain ethnic groups is all the more troubling.