University of California sued over alleged racial bias in admissions

Applicants sue University of California for racial bias in admissions

Robert Besser
07 Feb 2025, 02:45 GMT+10

University of California sued over alleged racial bias in admissions

A student group sued the University of California system this week, claiming it gives unfair advantages to Black and Hispanic students over Asian-American and white students in admissions
The group Students Against Racial Discrimination said the university's admission policies allow less-qualified students to be accepted while better-qualified students are rejected
They argue this violates the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans racial discrimination by organizations receiving federal funding

LOS ANGELES, California: A student group sued the University of California system this week, claiming it gives unfair advantages to Black and Hispanic students over Asian-American and white students in admissions.

The group Students Against Racial Discrimination said the university's admission policies allow less-qualified students to be accepted while better-qualified students are rejected. They argue this violates the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans racial discrimination by organizations receiving federal funding.

They also said the policies violate Proposition 209, a 1996 law passed by California voters that bans race-based decisions in public education, jobs, and contracts.

The University of California responded that race and ethnicity data in applications are only used for statistics, not for making admission decisions. The university also said it follows Proposition 209 in its admissions process.

This lawsuit follows a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended race-based admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. It also comes as many companies reduce diversity programs, which former U.S. President Donald Trump and other conservatives have criticized.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, often criticized by Trump, is one of the defendants in the lawsuit.

The student group, founded in 2024, says it wants to bring back a system where academic achievement is the main factor in admissions. They claim the University of California uses a "holistic" admissions approach to help Black and Hispanic students get admitted at the expense of other students, regardless of qualifications.

The lawsuit cites an example from UC Berkeley, where 13 percent of Black, in-state applicants were admitted in 2010, compared to a 21 percent overall admission rate. By 2023, these numbers changed to 10 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Santa Ana, California, asks the court to stop the university from considering race in admissions and to appoint a monitor to oversee the process.

The student group is represented by America First Legal, founded by a former Trump official, and Jonathan Mitchell, a lawyer known for supporting conservative causes.