The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has found that the Yale University discriminated against Asian American and white applicants in its admissions process.

In a statement on Thursday, the DoJ said that its findings "are the result of a two-year investigation in response to a complaint by Asian American groups concerning Yale's conduct", reports Xinhua news agency.

"Yale rejects scores of Asian American and white applicants each year based on their race, whom it otherwise would admit," its added. The University, according to the DoJ, "discriminates based on race and national origin in its undergraduate admissions process, and that race is the determinative factor in hundreds of admissions decisions each year".

The US Supreme Court held that colleges receiving federal funds may consider applicants' race in certain limited circumstances as one of a number of factors, the DoJ said, adding, however, it found "Yale's use of race is anything but limited".

Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart denied the accusation, saying in a statement that the university was "dismayed that the DOJ has made its determination before allowing Yale to provide all the information the Department has requested thus far".

Yale's practices "absolutely comply with decades of Supreme Court precedent", she added.