|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Stanford University School of Medicine – which spends about $1 billion a year on research – represents a rich target for the U.S. Department of Justice, which last week opened an investigation into three schools’ admissions practices insinuating that each was unlawfully discriminating against potential students.
The DOJ informed Stanford on March 25 that it would require the medical school to submit reams of data by April 24 or risk interruptions to federal funding, the New York Times reported last week.
The investigation is requiring “all-applicant level admissions data,” which includes applicant test scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, admission outcomes and demographics, according to reporting from NBC. Stanford was among three schools targeted in the probe, which also included the medical schools of the Ohio State University and the University of California, San Diego.
When asked for comment, the DOJ did not offer new details about the objective of the inquiry or how the DOJ selected Stanford and the other two schools for the investigation. Last week, DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted a photo on X of her preparing to sign a piece of paper with a fountain pen.
“Launching a series of civil rights investigations,” Dhillon wrote. “Another day in paradise!”
A Stanford spokesperson said the medical school is in compliance with federal law, but did not specify if Stanford would comply with the DOJ’s demands.
“We are reviewing the letter and will respond appropriately,” the spokesperson said. “Stanford School of Medicine prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.”
The DOJ’s probe is the Trump administration’s latest effort to use threats of funding cuts to exert influence on the teaching and research at the nation’s universities. Since last year, the administration has attempted to strip Harvard University of federal funding in relation to alleged incidents of antisemitism following the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Last July, Columbia University paid a $200 million fine after the Trump administration canceled hundreds of millions in federal funds over allegations that the university mishandled incidents of harassment against Jewish students.
Until last week, Stanford had not been directly targeted by the Trump administration. Still, the university has been impacted by changes in federal policy that have impacted its budget, workforce, hiring trends. Last year, 363 Stanford staff members were laid off due to changes in federal policy, the university said. Some of those staff members were employed in the School of Medicine, and 87 positions were cut from the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, which is affiliated with Stanford Health Care, late last year.
Federal policy changes also led to the cancellation of the Notre Dame de Namur planned acquisition last year.
In Stanford’s 2025-2026 budget plan, released last June, the university noted it was monitoring the evolving actions of the federal government. This included the cancellation of existing research grants, the threat of further federal funding cuts and an increase in the endowment tax from 1.4% to 8% that could cost Stanford $1 billion in the next five years.
“This Budget Plan has been shaped amid significant uncertainty around federal research funding and other government actions that could affect our revenues,” the 2025-2026 budget plan stated. “We have approached budget development with great caution, seeking to bolster our research and education mission while developing contingency plans.”
It is yet unclear how the DOJ’s investigation could impact Stanford’s medical school, but federal funding represents a significant share of the university’s research funding. In the 2023-2024 school year, the university received over $1 billion in funding from federal sources for sponsored research expenditures. Sponsored research uses funding earmarked for specific research projects. This figure comprised roughly 70% of the university’s sponsored research funding for that year.
Additionally, the medical school accounts for a significant share of Stanford’s research spending. Of the roughly $1.4 billion spent on sponsored research, $1 billion in spending was in the School of Medicine, according to the most recent budget.
The School of Medicine enrolled 315 master’s students, 482 professional students, which includes students pursuing a Doctor of Medicine degree, and 552 doctoral students, according to the enrollment data from the 2023-2024 school year, the most recent available. There were 1,130 faculty members and over 7,600 non-teaching staff within the school that year.
“Universities with large portfolios of federally sponsored research and those with large endowments are most at risk; Stanford falls into both categories,” Stanford wrote in its most recent budget. “Any one or a combination of these actions would pose substantial challenges.”
Sea lion found on Mountain View street returns to ocean after months of recoveryMarch 28, 2026 9:12 am