YAF Challenges UW-Madison’s Race Based Financial Aid Programs
Young America’s Foundation is suing the University of Wisconsin–Madison over more than 20 race-based scholarships and grants funded by Wisconsin taxpayers.
The lawsuit, filed alongside the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and Citizens Defending Liberty, argues the university continues to award financial aid based on race in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The case comes just six weeks after the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously struck down another race-based UW-Madison scholarship program. WILL says that decision made clear public universities cannot discriminate based on race except in the rarest of circumstances.
Despite that ruling, the lawsuit argues UW-Madison continues to administer dozens of similar programs.
“The University of Wisconsin-Madison continues to administer scholarships and grants to students based on race, and it’s happening with our tax dollars,” said WILL Deputy Counsel Rebecca Furdek. “WILL is holding the university accountable so eligibility for scholarships doesn’t depend upon the color of a student’s skin.”
The complaint argues the programs fail every constitutional test outlined by the U.S. Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
“At Young America’s Foundation, we believe academic opportunities should be available to all, regardless of a student’s skin color,” said 48th Governor of Wisconsin and President of YAF, Scott Walker. “Scholarships should be earned based on merit and academic excellence. Every student deserves to be evaluated as an individual and judged by their accomplishments, character, and work ethic.”
According to the lawsuit, the scholarships rely on imprecise, overbroad, and underinclusive racial categories, exclude students from equal competition and lack the narrow tailoring required under the Constitution. Worse, the University cannot identify a legally adequate justification for the criteria.
YAF joined the lawsuit on behalf of its members, arguing qualified students should compete for scholarships based on merit and financial need, not race. UW-Madison student Jenna Lawrence is also a plaintiff in the case.
“I am proud to stand alongside YAF and WILL and argue for our universities to treat all students equally,” said Lawrence, saying that students should earn scholarships based on merit and not race.
If successful, the lawsuit could force UW-Madison to eliminate more than 20 scholarship and grant programs that use race as an eligibility requirement and further pressure public universities nationwide to abandon discriminatory financial aid policies.
