University of Oklahoma Sued for Racial Bias in Financial Aid

Students at the University of Oklahoma have filed a class action lawsuit alleging the school violated their equal protection rights by awarding financial aid on the basis of race. The lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, comes after the Supreme Court held in a 2023 ruling that the use of race in admissions violated equal-protection rights.

The lawsuit, which was filed by three undergraduate students, alleges that the university "places a high value on racial diversity," particularly Black students, through various "race conscious" programs on campus that begin before enrollment and continue through graduation.

The students allege that because of the university's "race-based financial aid decision making," they received fewer grants "than they would have if the University of Oklahoma did not discriminate on the basis of race when awarding financial aid." All three students identified as "white" and "non-Hispanic" when applying for grants.

Savage, who is a senior at the school, alleged in the lawsuit that a university official told her "that financial aid was generally not available to students like her," but would have been if she were Black. 

The lawsuit lays out several incidents in which events and opportunities are exclusionary on the basis of race. The "racially exclusionary nature is not subtle," the lawsuit states, detailing the university's three-day "Welcome Black Weekend" orientation for incoming students. 

"In an effort to obscure the extent to which it has engaged in race-based decision making, the University of Oklahoma has recently deleted many webpages with information about its diversity and race-based programs. It is therefore difficult to determine the full extent of the University’s race-based programs," the lawsuit alleges. 

The lawsuit comes after a number of other universities have been sued for alleged racial discrimination in recent years. In 2022, a federal judge ruled that Harvard University's admissions process discriminated against Asian American applicants. The case is currently on appeal.

The University of Oklahoma has not yet responded to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of legal challenges to affirmative action programs in higher education. Critics of affirmative action argue that it is unfair and that it discriminates against non-minority students. Supporters of affirmative action argue that it is necessary to level the playing field for students from underrepresented groups.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear several cases related to affirmative action in the coming years. The outcome of these cases could have a significant impact on the future of affirmative action in higher education.