The University of California (UC) has been sued over allegations that it gave preferential treatment to Black and Hispanic applicants while disadvantaging Asian and white applicants.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on February 3, argues that UC’s admissions policies favored certain racial groups, resulting in harm to students who were academically qualified but not from the preferred backgrounds.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed by Students Against Racial Discrimination against the UC Board of Regents.
The plaintiffs claim that UC’s holistic admissions process, which considers factors beyond academic achievement, was used to influence admission rates by race. They argue that the policy led to lower acceptance rates for academically stronger students in favor of applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.
The lawsuit contends that UC’s admissions practices violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in federally funded programs.
The UC Board of Regents has emphasized its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its admissions policies.
In response to the lawsuit, UC stated that race is only collected for statistical purposes and is not considered in the admissions review process.
This legal challenge follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling, which struck down affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, deeming race-conscious admissions unconstitutional.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
