Students for Fair Admissions

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Students For Fair Admissions Inc
AbbreviationSFFA
FormationTax-exempt since January 2015; 10 years ago (2015-01)
FounderEdward Blum
Type501(c)(3)
Purpose"to support and participate in litigation that will restore the original principles of our nation’s civil rights movement"[1]
HeadquartersArlington, Virginia
Region
United States
President
Edward Blum
Revenue4,962,419 USD (2024)
Expenses4,412,679 USD (2024)
Websitestudentsforfairadmissions.org
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Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization founded in 2014 by conservative activist Edward Blum for the purpose of challenging affirmative action admissions policies at schools.[3][4] In June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that affirmative action programs in college admissions (excepting military academies) are unconstitutional.

SFFA has been described by its opponents as an anti-affirmative action group that objects to the use of race as one of the factors in college admissions.[5][clarification needed]

History

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SFFA is an offshoot of the Project on Fair Representation. SFFA's federal lawsuits have targeted Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Blum has set up websites to seek out plaintiffs.[6][7][8]

Lawsuits

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Unlike the Fisher case, in which the plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, made herself public, the students rejected by Harvard and UNC have not revealed their identities because they want to shield themselves from potential retaliation.[9]

Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College[10] was dismissed in October 2019,[11] and that ruling was subsequently upheld on appeal.[12] In February 2021, however, SFFA petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to review the case.[13] In June 2023, the Supreme Court issued a landmark opinion that ruled affirmative action programs in college admissions unconstitutional.[14]

In September 2023, the SFFA filed a lawsuit challenging the use of race and ethnicity as admissions factors at the United States Military Academy, as the Supreme Court exempted military academies from its ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. In February 2024, the organization's case against West Point Academy for considering race in admissions was denied certiorari upon appeal to the Supreme Court after losses in local courts.[15] In August 2025, during the Second Trump presidency, the Justice Department "announced the settlement of litigation challenging former race-based admissions practices at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy".[16][17][18]

In December 2024, Judge Richard D. Bennett ruled that the United States Naval Academy was exempt from the decision and could use race in their admission decisions, citing "military cohesion and other national security factors".[19][20] In June 2025, the Justice Department announced a filing to dismiss the lawsuit "based on the federal government’s commitments to end those practices permanently".[21][22]

SFFA and Do No Harm (organization) sued the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.[23]

In June 2025, SFFA along with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Education designating federal grant funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions.[24][25][26][27][28]

In 2025, the SFFA sued Kamehameha Schools, a private school established in 1887 from the bequest of Princess Pauahi Pākī for the education of Native Hawaiians, for its consideration of Native Hawaiian ancestry in its admissions policy.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About". studentsforfairadmissions.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Students for Fair Admissions". Internal Revenue Service filings. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
  3. ^ Borter, Gabriella (June 29, 2023). "Factbox: Who's who in the Supreme Court's affirmative action cases". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Project on Fair Representation Files Suits against Harvard and UNC". Students For Fair Admissions. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  5. ^ Ko, Lisa (October 14, 2018). "Opinions: The Myth of the Interchangeable Asian". Opinions. The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Harvard University Not Fair". Not Fair Harvard. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Not Fair: UNC". The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Not Fair. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Not Fair: UW". The University of Wisconsin at Madison Not Fair. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  9. ^ Edwards, Giles (29 July 2016). "Abigail Fisher: Affirmative action plaintiff 'proud' of academic record". www.bbc.com. BBC News. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  10. ^ Wood, Josh (18 October 2018). "'The wolf of racial bias': the admissions lawsuit rocking Harvard". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  11. ^ Binkley, Collin (2019-10-01). "Federal judge upholds affirmative action at Harvard". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  12. ^ "STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC. v. PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE" (PDF).
  13. ^ Lu, Vivi E. (2021-02-25). "Students for Fair Admissions Petitions SCOTUS to Take Up Suit Against Harvard's Race-Conscious Admissions". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  14. ^ "Students for fair admissions, inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-06-29.
  15. ^ Students for Fair Admissions v USMA West Point Academy, unsigned (United States Supreme Court 02 February 2024).
  16. ^ "Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Settles Lawsuits Challenging Race-Based Admissions at West Point and Air Force Academy | United States Department of Justice". justice.gov (Press release). 12 August 2025. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025.
  17. ^ Patel, Vimal (August 11, 2025). "West Point and Air Force Academy Affirmative Action Lawsuits Are Dropped". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025.
  18. ^ "Students for Fair Admissions Announces Settlement With Department of Defense Ending Race-Based Admissions at West Point and the Air Force Academy". studentsforfairadmissions.org (Press release). August 11, 2025.
  19. ^ Skene, Lea (2024-12-06). "Judge upholds use of race in Naval Academy admissions, saying a diverse military is stronger". AP News. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  20. ^ "Judge says pursuing diversity for Naval Academy admissions is a national security interest". POLITICO. 6 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Addresses Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit Challenging Race-Based Admissions at United States Naval Academy | United States Department of Justice". justice.gov (Press release). 16 June 2025. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Students for Fair Admissions and the US Department of Justice Agree to Moot Students for Fair Admissions v. US Naval Academy. Race will no longer be used as an admissions factor at Annapolis". studentsforfairadmissions.org (Press release). June 18, 2025. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025.
  23. ^ Mejia, Brittny (9 May 2025). "Federal lawsuit alleges UCLA medical school uses a race-based admissions process". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025.
  24. ^ Wegner, Rachel (June 11, 2025). "Tennessee sues U.S. Education Department over funding for Hispanic-serving colleges". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025.
  25. ^ Spitalniak, Laura (June 12, 2025). "Tennessee and SFFA sue over funding for Hispanic-serving institutions | Higher Ed Dive". Higher Ed Dive.
  26. ^ "Students for Fair Admissions and the State of Tennessee File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Racial Discrimination in Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program". studentsforfairadmissions.org (Press release). June 11, 2025. Archived from the original on June 15, 2025.
  27. ^ "TN Attorney General and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. Sue Department of Education over Discriminatory Grant Program". tn.gov (Press release). June 11, 2025. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025.
  28. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (August 22, 2025). "Education Department Backs Away From Program for Hispanic-Serving Colleges". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025.
  29. ^ Lovell, Blaze; Tagami, Megan (October 20, 2025). "Kamehameha Schools Sued Over Native Hawaiian Admissions Policy". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
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