University of California Rejects Ethnic Studies Requirement for Admission

The California Department of Education estimated that creating this new required course would cost $276 million annually, according to the UC Senate review.

Students in Sproul Plaza on the University of California-Berkeley campus in Berkeley, Calif., on March 14, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The University of California (UC) Faculty Assembly last week rejected a proposal to implement a one-semester ethnic studies course required for freshman UC admission. 

The April 23 meeting agenda highlighted concerns over the gap between the $50 million allocated and the $276 million annually needed to implement the proposal across the state. “Resource-strapped school districts could struggle to comply, potentially leaving up to 5 percent of students—about 20,000 annually—unable to meet UC admissions criteria,” it said. “Ethnic studies as a graduation requirement, rather than an admissions requirement, would avoid unfairly penalizing these students.”