AACE Newsletter 2026 Spring
1. Asian Enrollment in Selective American Colleges Continues to Rise
Following the Trump Administration’s enforcement of the Supreme Court’s 2023 SFFA rulings—and the continued pressure from SFFA and AACE—Asian American enrollment has continued to rise across many selective colleges. The most clearly documented increases occurred at MIT, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale.
• MIT: Asian enrollment increased from 40% to 47% in the first full admissions cycle after SFFA—a 7 point surge, the largest single year increase reported by any elite university. This higher level has been sustained into the 2025–26 cycle.
• Johns Hopkins University: Asian enrollment rose from 25.6% (2023) to 45.1% (2025)—a nearly 20 point increase, driven in part by the reinstatement of standardized testing.
• Harvard University: Asian enrollment increased from 37% (2024) to 41% (2025).
• Yale University: Asian enrollment rose from 24% (2024) to 30% (2025) after AACE filed a civil rights complaint against the university in April 2025.
2. Trump Administration Investigates Medical Schools and Stanford and Determines UCLA’s Medical School Discriminated Based on Race
On March 25, 2026, the Trump Administration opened investigations into possible discrimination at the medical schools of Stanford University, Ohio State University, and the University of California, San Diego. Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, announced the investigations on X.
The Department of Justice has requested several years of applicant data from these medical schools, with a deadline of April 24, 2026. The inquiry focuses on whether the institutions used race or race based proxies in their admissions processes.
Separately, according to University Herald, “on April 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation into Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, targeting a teacher certification program that restricted eligibility to educators who identify as a person of color.” One year earlier, the Trump Administration had also opened a federal investigation into Stanford’s undergraduate admissions policies for alleged violations of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that struck down affirmative action. That investigation extended to three University of California campuses—UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Irvine.
On May 6, 2026, after one year’s investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice determines UCLA’s medical school discriminated based on race in admissions. “UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors.” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racism in admissions is both illegal and anti-American, and this Department will not allow it to continue.”
AACE is encouraged that the Trump Administration is following through on President Trump’s executive orders banning DEI based programs and restoring meritocracy in college admissions.
3. AACE Urges Unfairly Rejected Asian American Applicants to File Complaints with the U.S. Department of Education
Last year, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” prohibiting the use of race proxies in college admissions and warning that eliminating standardized testing to engineer racial outcomes is unlawful. The OCR also encourages individuals to file complaints if they believe they have been subjected to unfair or discriminatory treatment.
To support the Trump Administration’s efforts to eradicate racial discrimination in college admissions and hiring, AACE urges all affected Asian Americans—particularly those who were unfairly rejected, whether in college admissions or in hiring, by medical schools, Stanford University, or campuses within the University of California system—to file complaints with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Information about filing a complaint with OCR, including a link to the online complaint form, is available here: OCR: Discrimination Complaint Form . If you plan to file a complaint, please contact Info@AsianAmericanForEducation.org to consult with AACE.
4. Yale Releases Faculty Report Calling for Merit Based Admissions, Academic Freedom, and Institutional Reform
On April 13, 2026, a faculty committee convened by Yale President Maurie McInnis released the Report of the Committee on Trust in Higher Education, which concludes that declining public trust in universities stems from soaring costs, opaque and non meritocratic admissions practices, and growing ideological conformity.
The committee recommends restoring trust through greater transparency, rigorous academics, intellectual diversity, and a renewed focus on merit—including reducing legacy preferences. Key findings and recommendations include:
• Admissions Reform: The committee described Yale’s “holistic” admissions process as “subjective and hard to explain.” It recommended prioritizing merit and reducing preferences for legacy applicants, recruited athletes, and children of faculty and staff.
• Academic Freedom & Open Discourse: The report calls for strengthening protections for free speech and addressing ideological conformity to ensure an environment that supports open debate.
• Refocusing Yale’s Mission: The committee urges revising Yale’s mission statement to emphasize creating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge through research and teaching, rather than pursuing broad social or political goals.
• Affordability: The report highlights the need to address rising tuition costs that make higher education feel inaccessible to many families.
• Grade Inflation: To restore confidence in academic standards, the committee recommends curbing grade inflation and establishing more consistent, reliable grading practices.
AACE is pleased that Yale’s 2026 faculty report affirms many of our long standing policy positions—merit based admissions, intellectual diversity, and a renewed focus on education. Importantly, the issues identified in the report are not unique to Yale; they are widespread across colleges nationwide. AACE urges all American institutions of higher education to review Yale’s findings and adopt its reasonable and much needed recommendations.
Finally, AACE calls for your unwavering support as we refocus our efforts on promoting meritocracy and educational excellence across America.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 landmark rulings in SFFA v. Harvard/UNC affirm that Asian Americans can play a vital role in advocating for equal educational rights. To drive meaningful change, we must speak up and actively join the fight for fairness and justice in education.
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Thanks for your support and courage to join the fight!
Asian American Coalition for Education