Over the last five years, higher education admissions policy has undergone a stark shift from years past. Since the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, admissions policies across the nation have echoed the majority opinion of the court — that affirmative action is unconstitutional and should be made illegal at the federal level.
The Supreme Court ruling aligned with California’s policy on affirmative action, dating back to 1996’s Proposition 209, which banned any form of affirmative action at public universities in the nation’s most populated state. This ban affected racial demographics at UC Irvine, as well as every other UC campus. At UC Berkeley, for example — the institution whose policies largely sparked the fight against affirmative action — the Black student population has fallen from nearly 6% in 1995 to 2% in 2025.
In a vacuum, admissions based on anything but the merit of applicants seems unfair and unconstitutional. It makes sense to take only the best and brightest into consideration for the top universities, jobs, fellowships and other professional opportunities.
However, New University’s editorial board understands that higher education policy — and the world in general — does not exist in a vacuum. Certain groups of people have suffered years of deliberate systemic oppression that may keep them from competing fairly with groups that have not. Latino, Black and Indigenous students make up a disproportionately low portion of the UC population, especially at the system’s most elite universities, such as UCI. UC Irvine’s current Latino population is estimated to be approximately 23.5%, compared to California’s 40% Latino population. UCI’s Black population is 2%, compared to California’s 5% Black population. UCI’s Indigenous population is 0.12%, compared to California’s 1.7% Indigenous population.
New University understands that it is impossible to have perfectly proportional representation of all demographics relative to California’s overall population. However, striving to create equitable opportunities is something that the nation should already be doing.
New University believes in an equitable education system that allows all Americans, regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexuality, immigration status or any other demographic factor, to achieve success in higher education.
Editor’s note: Editorials should not be interpreted to reflect the opinion, thoughts or beliefs of any individual New University editor, staff member or affiliate.