UCLA Faces Civil Rights Investigation for Operating Discriminatory Scholarship Programs

A Cornell Law professor has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the University of California, Los Angeles, alleging the institution operates more than a dozen scholarship programs that illegally discriminate based on race, sex, and national origin.

William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project, submitted the complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on Friday. The filing identifies 13 programs with eligibility criteria that allegedly violate Title VI and Title IX of federal civil rights law, which explicitly prohibit discrimination by institutions receiving federal funding.

The facts here are straightforward. UCLA, a major public university funded by taxpayers, is running scholarship programs restricted to “LatinX” freshmen, “Pilipinx” students, “undocumented undergraduates,” and female-only applicants. This is not ambiguous. This is not a gray area. This is explicit racial and sex-based discrimination in violation of federal law.

“That race- and sex-based discriminatory scholarships exist at a major and highly visible public university is shocking,” Jacobson stated. “UCLA should know better than to run scholarships or programs that treat students differently based on race, color, national origin, or sex.”

The complaint details several problematic programs. The UCLA Latino Alumni Association scholarship explicitly targets “incoming LatinX freshmen and transfer students.” The Pilipino Alumni Association award restricts eligibility to students “who indicate their membership in the Pilipinx community.” The Undocumented Alumni Association Scholarship limits awards to undocumented students, while the Raza Women’s Alumni Scholarship prioritizes “incoming Latina freshmen and transfer students.”

Here is where the situation becomes particularly absurd. California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly stated earlier this year that “no one says Latinx.” Yet UCLA, operating under the UC system he oversees, continues using “LatinX” as an official eligibility criterion in taxpayer-funded scholarships. The hypocrisy is remarkable.

Additional programs cited in the complaint include two scholarships restricted to students of Armenian descent and a Deloitte Foundation award supporting exclusively “meritorious female students.”

The complaint argues that UCLA’s deployment of racial and sex-based criteria “violates federal law and the university’s own nondiscrimination policies.” Jacobson is requesting that federal officials investigate and, if necessary, suspend UCLA’s federal funding until these programs comply with civil rights law.

UCLA has attempted to defend its practices. The university’s scholarship portal includes a statement asserting that “UCLA administers all identity-conscious financial aid and scholarships in compliance with federal, state, and university regulations.”

Identity-conscious. That is the preferred euphemism for what used to be called discrimination. The logic is circular and legally dubious. Federal law prohibits discrimination based on race and sex. UCLA acknowledges its programs are “identity-conscious,” meaning they consider race and sex. Therefore, UCLA is engaged in precisely the discrimination federal law prohibits.

This case represents a critical test of whether civil rights laws will be enforced equally. For decades, universities have operated under the assumption that discrimination is acceptable when directed toward certain groups in the name of diversity or equity. That assumption needs to be challenged in court and in federal enforcement actions.

The Department of Education now has an opportunity to demonstrate whether civil rights protections apply to all Americans or only to politically favored groups. The law is clear. The facts are clear. What remains to be seen is whether federal officials will enforce the law as written.