The Future of Race-Based Scholarships in Higher Education

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | July 29, 2026 | Dan Lennington

[karpov]

It’s now been three years since the United States Supreme Court declared that race may never be used as a “negative” or operate as a “stereotype” in higher education. While that landmark case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, dismantled affirmative action in admissions, race still lingers as a factor in many other areas of higher education.

One such area is financial aid—specifically grants and scholarships. The National Scholarship Providers Association estimates that 11% of all higher-education scholarships still contain eligibility requirements for race, ethnicity, or other demographic factors, even after SFFA.

Race-based scholarships, though, are facing increasing scrutiny. Last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a race-based scholarship created by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1985. The scholarship provided taxpayer-funded grants to students based on need. Critically, however, the scholarships were available only for “minority undergraduates.” And even that definition further restricted eligibility by providing that only certain minorities qualified: blacks, American Indians, Hispanics, and Asians from Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. All other students were excluded because of their race.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) sued the State on behalf of Kiki Rabiebna and Richard Freihoefer, a married couple. Kiki is a native of Thailand and Richard is a white American. They have a teenage son who is entering college in Wisconsin this fall. But because of race and ancestry, no one in the Rabiebna-Freihoefer family was eligible for the scholarship.

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TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: affirmativeaction; college; racialpreferences

[ComputerGuy]

Unequal treatment of the races is baked into our educational pie. It ain’t going away.

[Carl Vehse]

"The Future of Race-Based Racist Scholarships in Higher Education"

There! Fixed it.

[TheThirdRuffian]

There’s a big difference between taxpayer funded discriminatory grants and private grants. I think most grants are private.

[Liz]

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) sued the State on behalf of Kiki Rabiebna and Richard Freihoefer, a married couple. Kiki is a native of Thailand and Richard is a white American. They have a teenage son who is entering college in Wisconsin this fall. But because of race and ancestry, no one in the Rabiebna-Freihoefer family was eligible for the scholarship.

[ComputerGuy]

I didn’t know that.

[Savage Beast]

"The scholarship provided taxpayer-funded grants to students based on need. Critically, however, the scholarships were available only for “minority undergraduates.” And even that definition further restricted eligibility by providing that only certain minorities qualified: blacks, American Indians, Hispanics, and Asians from Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. All other students were excluded because of their race."

Yes. Such discrimination must be prohibited if taxpayer-funded.

However, if I want to endow a scholarship with my own money, its qualifications are set by me and me alone, and that is my right. If I want it to go to left-handed red-headed gypsies, that's my right.

[Bon of Babble]

11% of all higher-education scholarships still contain eligibility requirements for race, ethnicity, or other demographic factors.

Try starting a scholarship for White children and see what happens...

[Ahithophel]

Hardly anything based in higher education. They’re all race-woke scholarships and the future of them, like most the recipients, ain’t bright.

[PGalt]

In the future individuals will reject separationist collectives and examine the words and deeds of other individuals.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

However, if I want to endow a scholarship with my own money, its qualifications are set by me and me alone, and that is my right. If I want it to go to left-handed red-headed gypsies, that's my right.

Totally agree.

[libertylover]

However, if I want to endow a scholarship with my own money, its qualifications are set by me and me alone, and that is my right.

I don't think so. About 10 years back there was a guy who wanted to set up a scholarship fund limited to the people he wanted to help. The courts held that he couldn't do that.

If I win the lottery, I'd like to set up some scholarships at my alma mater, but I'd want to limit the fields of study. Any race of the student is fine, but I don't want to fund a major of "[left wing] Studies". If I couldn't do that, I'd fund nothing.

[millenial4freedom]

threaten any and all federal funding to these colleges, and there is actually a decent chance this pernicious form of racism might go away

but the college application process will need to be heavily revamped...much of it would need to be anonymized - just include grades, courses taken, test scores, extracurriculars and assign each applicant a unique id instead of full name and residence.

[ComputerGuy]

Some applicants might have to hide the names of their high schools.

[sten]

race based scholarships were all the rage in the late 80s.

i couldn’t get a dime. university financial advisers told me since i was white and my parents had a job, there was no aid for me.

i was working 2+ jobs at the time with very little time for sleep. luckily i didn’t need much study to pass my classes.

a friend of mine, who was black, did have a scholarship. his parents had jobs and were from the same neighborhood. he had no job during school.

what’d he spend that money on? pot.

always kind of pissed me off. not at him, as he was doing what he could for himself, but at the system that was obviously broken.

[Savage Beast]

Years ago, I set up and funded a college scholarship for medical technologists. I did this because I am a physician and I knew that hospitals needed technologists very badly.

I didn't care anything about the recipients other than that they be dedicated, honorable, and in need of financial help.

One group I had in mind, but did not specify, was older people who didn't or couldn't attend college but who might study at the local community college while working to support a family and thus find a new and more lucrative means of support.

I don't know how many people were helped by this scholarship. Sometimes I received a letter from someone thanking me.

[glennaro]

You sure did “fix it” by describing the reality of what this deplorable practice is. Cheers!

[libertylover]

So, you were able to set up scholarships for specific fields of study? That’s encouraging.

[Honorary Serb]

Back in the day, I had non-race-based scholarships at MIT, and the non-race-based NSF Graduate Fellowship ar Harvard.

2026 students deserve to have the same opportunities!

[Savage Beast]

Yes. But that was 1978-1993.