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Lawsuit accuses UC of favoring Blacks and Latinos in admissions over whites and Asians

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ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses the University of California (UC) system of giving preference in undergraduate admissions to Black and Latino applicants over whites and Asians.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday by Students Against Racial Discrimination.

The lawsuit alleges UC admits students who have lower academic credentials at the expense of students with higher credentials.

It claims UC “discriminates against large numbers of Asian-American and white applicants, who are denied admission to UC schools based on their race.”

Per the Associated Press, in a statement, UC said on Tuesday it had not been served with the filing yet, but would defend its admissions policies in court if necessary.

“Since the consideration of race in admissions was banned in California in 1996, the University of California has adjusted its admissions practices to comply with the law,” the statement said. “The UC undergraduate admissions application collects students’ race and ethnicity for statistical purposes only. This information is not shared with application reviewers and is not used for admission.”

According to UC enrollment figures, Asian-American students accounted for 36.3% of UC’s undergraduate students in 2024 Fall semester. About 19.8% of the undergraduate students were white. Latino students accounted for 26.7% of students, with Black students only accounting for 4.7%.

More on the lawsuit and response from University of California.

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