University of California Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Racial Discrimination in Admissions. A lawsuit has been filed against the University of California on the basis of racial discrimination in admission. The complaint has been filed that the university system prefers Black and Hispanic students in admissions and discriminates against white and Asian American applicants. Please read the full article to learn the complete details about the lawsuit, who filed it, and why.
University of California Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Racial Discrimination in Admissions
The University of California system was sued on 3 Feb, Monday, by a group of students for alleged racial discrimination in admissions because they favor Black and Hispanic students and discriminate against white and Asian American applicants. The students in this group said that the use of racial preferences at all nine of the system’s campuses lets students with inferior academic credentials win admission at the expense of better-qualified applicants. According to the students, this prohibits the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars federal funds applicants from discrimination based on race.
In the suit, it is mentioned, “Trends in racial admission patterns consistently show that the adoption of the holistic process favored Black and Hispanic admissions and disfavored Asian Americans and, to a lesser extent, whites.” The suit highlights actions taken by the system, such as motivating its schools to adopt “holistic” admission policies that a former chancellor said would assist with low admission rates of minority students, comparing admission rates of Black applicants between 2010 and 2023 and the system apparently shutting down resources outsiders could use to study this issue.
The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Jonathan Mitchell, said more lawsuits will follow. He brings cases to the court consistently. He stated, “Universities continue to defy the law by using race and sex preferences in student admissions and faculty hiring.” He also added, “We will keep suing them until they adopt colorblind admissions and rid themselves of every last vestige of these odious and discriminatory practices.” To this, a spokesman for the University of California denied the allegations by saying that the university has followed the law since 1996. He claims that “UC undergraduate admissions applications collect students’ race and ethnicity for statistical purposes only, and they are not used for admission.”
Response of the University of California
The University of California has denied any misconduct in admission. The reporters have said that the University of California has claimed that their system inputs racial data and applicants’ ethnicity for only one reason, and that is for statistical purposes, and it does not impact any decisions that are related to the admission process. The university also claims that since Proposition 209 was passed, it has continuously adjusted its admission policies to guarantee compliance with state law.
Admission Stats
Last month, the University of California released data showing that Latino/a and African American enrollment increased by 3.1% and 4.6%, respectively, since 2023, in contrast to other universities that saw decreases in these enrollments after the US Supreme Court struck down affirmative action.
From 2014 to 2024, African American undergraduate enrollment across all nine UC campuses increased by more than 50%, with Hispanic and Latino/a undergraduate enrollment increasing by around 45%. In contrast, Asian American undergraduate enrollment increased by just 22%, and white student enrollment decreased by 4%. However, Asian American, Hispanic and Latino/a, and white students continue to make up the majority of the campus population, comprising approximately 36%, 27%, and 20% of the total undergraduate population, respectively, versus only 5% for African American students.
All We Know About the Lawsuit
A court monitor will be appointed to supervise admissions decisions, and the lawsuit in the federal court in Santa Ana, California, aims to prevent the University of California from using race in student admissions. Lawyers for the student group include America First Legal, founded by Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, and Jonathan Mitchell, also known for advocating conservative causes. The case also unveils a wide national conversation about meritocracy and diversity in higher education.
The group argues that the current UC admissions policy disadvantages more academically qualified applicants in favor of those admitted under diversity considerations and that academic merit should take precedence over diversity quotas. The case is Students Against Racial Discrimination v. Regents of the University of California et al., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-00192.