The U.S. Department of Justice escalated its crackdown on race-conscious admissions by alleging that the UC San Diego School of Medicine discriminates against White and Asian applicants. DOJ’s civil rights division said the school’s process used “hardship,” “disadvantage,” and “distance traveled” as proxies for race and sought preferential interview access, in alleged violation of Title VI. DOJ says it will sue UC San Diego if the institution fails to return to compliance after settlement talks. The action follows earlier challenges to race-conscious admissions practices in California and could further constrain how medical schools operationalize applicant context. The allegations matter for higher education broadly because they signal DOJ is willing to scrutinize not only overt race mentions, but also contextual factors and operational sorting methods tied to achieving underrepresented enrollment goals.