Affirmative Action in College Admissions
By: Angela Zhang
Affirmative action policies are designed to increase opportunities for groups that have been historically discriminated against. In the case of college admissions, that means when evaluating applicants, colleges can take race and the diversity of the student body into consideration.
Support: Supporters of affirmative action argue that treating everyone identically undermines the unequal opportunity given to Black and Hispanic Americans due to systemic discrimination and barriers. Black and Hispanic students suffer more educational barriers. In other words, equity is better than equality.1
Opposition: People who oppose affirmative action argue it’s unfair and discriminatory towards non-Black and Hispanic students. If society should strive for equality, applicants should be looked at equally regardless of race. This is especially true for Asian Americans, who also suffer from historical oppression, yet they are overrepresented in education; therefore, they are not included in ‘minority groups’ under affirmative action. Before Brown v. Board of Education (1954), there was Gong Lum v. Rice (1927), where the Supreme Court ruled it was legally allowed for Chinese and Asian students to be segregated in schools, upholding the ‘Separate but Equal’ doctrine.2
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023): Students sued Harvard for discriminating against Asian Americans. Harvard argued that its affirmative action policy was to increase the diversity of their student population. The court ruled that Harvard’s policy violated the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment because it failed to meet the strict scrutiny and non-stereotyping criteria. In other words, their reason was not sufficient. This case effectively ended the use of affirmative action or the use of race as a factor in college admissions. 3
GWU: If you are affiliated with George Washington University, you’ve received an email on September 10th about how the medical school was found to be discriminating against Asian and White students in admissions. The Department of Justice found that GWU was admitting Black and Hispanic students with significantly lower standardized testing scores (MCAT). 4 They claimed GWU was also using essay questions that were designed to determine the applicant's race or ethnicity and used that information in consideration for admission. GWU did not agree with this decision. Spokesperson Deckelbaum and President Granberg both stated they believe the DOJ was incorrect. 5
Conclusion: It’s important to understand both the positive and negative impacts of these policies, and how they affect different racial and ethnic groups. After this reading, you can make a clearer judgment and opinion by taking the different perspectives into account.
Citations:
National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: HISTORY AND RATIONALE. National Archives and Records Administration. https://clintonwhitehouse3.archives.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/aa/aa02.html
Before Brown v. Board of Education, there was tape V. Hurley | Teaching with the Library. Library of Congress. (n.d.). https://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2021/05/before-brown-v-board-of-education-there-was-tape-v-hurley/
Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Oyez. (n.d.-c). https://www.oyez.org/cases/2022/20-1199
Sanchez, O. (2026, August 28). DOJ finds racial discrimination at George Washington U Medical School. Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/08/28/doj-finds-racial-discrimination-george-washington-medical
Michelle, J. (2026, August 31). DOJ says George Washington University Medical School illegally favored black, Hispanic applicants over White and Asian applicants - blavity. Blavity News & Entertainment. https://blavity.com/gwu-medical-school-doj-racial-discrimination-admissions
Image 1: Mangan, Dan. “Supreme Court Rejects Affirmative Action at Colleges as Unconstitutional.” CNBC, June 29, 2023. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/29/supreme-court-rejects-affirmative-action-at-colleges-says-schools-cant-consider-race-in-admission.html.