USA Today, DEI dropped: Medical schools won’t be graded on diversity amid federal, state crackdown:
Citing state crackdowns on diversity, equity and inclusion, the organization that accredits medical schools has dropped diversity as a measure of the quality of medical education.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education on May 19 voted to eliminate diversity programs and partnerships as criteria when it grades the performance of medical schools that confer “MD” degrees to students.
The liaison committee said it acted because new and proposed state laws targeting diversity, equity and inclusion conflict with the accrediting body’s standards. Eliminating diversity standards would create “a single set of accreditation expectations with which all schools, regardless of their location and current legislative environment, must comply,” the liaison committee said in a statement.
Inside Higher Ed, Medical School Accreditor Eliminates Diversity Standard:
The body that accredits medical schools leading to MD degrees has dropped diversity as a standard, USA Today reported.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association, voted to stop evaluating diversity programs as a measure of a medical school’s quality after “thoughtful and careful consideration and discussion,” according to a committee spokesperson.
In the 2023 edition of the published accreditation manual, which went into effect July 1, 2024, the academic and learning standards include a section on diversity programs and partnerships, which says medical schools should have policies and practices in place “to achieve mission-appropriate diversity outcomes” among students, faculty and administrators.
- Chronicle of Higher Education, The Weaponization of Accreditation
- Chronicle of Higher Education, What Trump’s Accreditation Moves Get Right
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- Under Trump Pressure, ABA Is Poised To Suspend Law School DEI Accreditation Standard Through August 2026 (May 7, 2025)
- ABA Legal Ed Council Votes Unanimously To Suspend Law School Diversity Accreditation Standard Until August 31, 2026 Due To Trump’s DEI Crackdown (May 10, 2025)
