Educators offer advice for students after Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action

Angelica is an East Los Angeles-native earning a degree in child development at Cal State Los Angeles.

As she prepares to graduate and pursue a master's degree, she hopes to convey her racial or ethnic background in her next application.

"I just feel like it plays a big role in the application process and just being able to identify yourself. You know, be proud of where you come from," she said.

The Supreme Court ruling ending race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities across the country will change the landscape for many institutions. So what should students and families consider?

"Parents are going to have to really highlight the coursework that students have taken, extracurricular activities they've been involved in, leadership types of opportunities they pursued, but even issues around race should not be completely avoided," said Tyrone Howard, a professor of education at UCLA.

Although in California, a ban on affirmative action took effect in 1998, educators stress students should not shy away from expressing their racial identity. For example, answering prompts about personal challenges.

"Don't run away from the challenges that you faced as a person of color. Talk about how that shaped your identity, continues to shape your identity, and how you have been able to navigate circumstances despite those challenges," said Howard.

For Angelica, attending a diverse university matters. "Whenever you don't see like Black and brown people like you," she said, "it just makes you feel a little like out of place. So I think it's always necessary to have like diversity in colleges."

What does the data show about enrollment at some public California universities?

Back in 1990, the percentage of Black students was at nearly 5% across the University of California System. By 2002 it hit a low of just 3%. The percentage increased gradually back to 4% in 2022.

The affect was smaller on the percentage of Hispanic and Latino students at U.C. Schools, which saw a small drop from 13.7% in 1996 to 12.3% in 2000. By 2022, the share of Hispanic and Latino undergraduates attending U.C. schools was more than 25%.

About 40% of Californians identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to census data.

But, it's not just enrollment data that might explain the impacts of Prop 209. A 2020 study out of UC Berkeley found that the UC system received hundreds fewer applications from Black and Latino potential students every year after Prop 209, most of them would have likely have been admitted to at least one UC campus.

The study also found that Prop 209 led minority UC applicants to earn 5% lower average annual wages between ages 24 and 34 than they would have earned had affirmative action continued.

Marjani Chidinma, associate director of recruitment at Cal State LA, stresses universities have a responsibility to reach out to diverse students.

"That may look like targeted recruitment, that may look like you know, going out to your local community colleges and your high schools, your community partners," said Chidinma. Her advice to students is also to choose an institution that they feel supported by. "How were you as an institution going to protect me, going to provide me support, mentorship?" she said.

As the Cal State application process begins in October, she encourages prospective students and families to reach out, visit campuses, and ask questions. "Whether that be application clinics, workshops, information sessions, all of those things are taking place so that students know what this process is and what they're facing," Chidinma said.