University of Illinois Chicago Ends Race and Gender Considerations in Aid

The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) has announced the removal of race, color, national origin, sex, and gender from criteria used in financial aid and faculty hiring decisions. This shift is in accordance with a new policy established by the University of Illinois System and aims to align with what officials describe as “current legal standards.”

This decision follows an August 2023 court ruling that mandated the Trump administration to abandon directives that encouraged schools to terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, or face the loss of federal funding. Earlier this month, the White House presented universities with a compact that included a range of political priorities, such as prohibiting the consideration of race and gender in admissions and hiring in exchange for increased access to federal funding. So far, six colleges have declined to accept this agreement.

UIC faculty member and union leader Nicole Nguyen criticized the university’s decision, suggesting it represents a voluntary retreat from commitments to equity. “We’ve understood that the world is not a level playing field,” said Nguyen. “Scholarships that attend to racial and gender inequity aim to level those scales.”

Leaders at UIC, which serves over 35,000 students—more than a third of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino, and one-fifth as Asian—did not provide immediate comments regarding how these policy changes may affect other campuses within the University of Illinois System, including Urbana-Champaign and Springfield.

As part of the recent policy shift, UIC will require all donor- and institutionally-funded scholarships to be reviewed and revised to exclude considerations of applicants’ race, color, national origin, and sex or gender. Scholarships already awarded or approved prior to October 14 will remain unaffected. Furthermore, faculty will no longer be permitted to include statements about their contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their tenure applications, as communicated by UIC’s Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

Nguyen pointed out the contradictory nature of UIC’s stance. “The UIC administration wants to promote the university as a diverse and inclusive campus,” she noted. “Yet it is simultaneously saying it does not value or reward the efforts necessary to support diversity because of fears regarding federal repercussions.”

Since the beginning of his second term, former President Donald Trump has actively campaigned against programs aimed at supporting marginalized groups in higher education, alleging that initiatives, such as scholarships for students of color, discriminate against white students. The U.S. Department of Education pointed to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that barred the consideration of race in college admissions as justification for these policy changes. However, legal experts have indicated that this ruling does not extend to financial aid.

Nguyen expressed concern that UIC’s decision undermines its mission to increase access to higher education. “This sends a message that we don’t actually care about access,” she stated. “By focusing only on those who can afford it, we abandon our commitment to the city and its diverse population.”

As the implications of these changes unfold, the university’s leadership faces scrutiny regarding their commitment to equity and access in higher education. The broader impact on UIC’s diverse student body remains to be seen as the institution navigates these new policies.