Skirting SCOTUS Part II: How Medical Schools Will Continue to Practice Racially Conscious Admissions

In the 2023 case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), the U.S. Supreme Court determined that race-based college admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Unfortunately, as Do No Harm reported previously, reactions from medical school leaders and medical organizations hinted that some medical schools were determined to circumvent, rather than comply with, the Court’s decision.

The enormous penalties assigned to Asian and white medical school applicants compared to black and Hispanic applicants under affirmative action admissions regimes are well documented. For example, in the 2023 application cycle – the last admissions cycle before SFFA took effect – matriculating Asian students had MCAT scores around the 89th percentile whereas matriculating black students had scores around the 65th percentile.

Under a color-blind admissions regime, academic qualifications (i.e. GPA and MCAT scores) among matriculating students should not vary substantially by race. Unfortunately, newly published data from the Association of American Medical Colleges indicate that hasn’t come to pass. Matriculating Asian students still have an MCAT score in the 89th percentile. Meanwhile, the academic profile of matriculating black students has only improved marginally, with MCAT scores increasing from the 65th percentile in 2023 to the 68th in 2024.

Continue reading the full report below.