Students accuse University of California of racial bias in admissions process

In early February 2025, a federal lawsuit was filed against the University of California system by a group named Students Against Racial Discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that the university is engaging in racial discrimination in its undergraduate admissions process by giving preference to Black and Latino students over Asian American and white applicants. The group claims that this practice violates California state law, specifically a law passed in 1996 that prohibits the consideration of race in public education, and also contravenes the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment along with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lawsuit presents the argument that the admissions practices employed by the university system favor students with inferior academic credentials while disadvantaging more qualified applicants based on their race. The complaint asserts that this approach not only harms Asian American and white applicants but also places Black and Latino students at a disadvantage academically. By employing a supposedly holistic review of applicants, UC allegedly moved away from objective assessment criteria to a more subjective evaluation of candidates’ overall appeal, which is claimed to have negatively impacted the quality of admitted students. As part of their legal action, the plaintiffs seek to block UC from requiring applicants to disclose their race in admissions processes and request that a court monitor be appointed to oversee these decisions moving forward. The timing of the lawsuit is significant as it follows a ruling by the Supreme Court in 2023, which declared affirmative action policies unconstitutional in higher education admissions. University representatives have not yet publicly commented on the allegations. The University of California's system is known for its diverse student body, which, according to records, had recently reached new diversity levels for the fall of 2024. Despite demographic improvements, critics of the university's admissions practices maintain that many students are being admitted based on racial preferences rather than merit, raising serious questions about fairness in academic admissions. The implications of this lawsuit may lead to significant changes within UC's admissions policy, impacting future enrollment statistics and overall campus demographics for its ten campuses.