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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

After California banned affirmative action in 1996 was there a decline in minority enrollment at the state’s universities?

By Lisa Freedland
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YES

According to a University of California report, a 1996 ballot initiative banning affirmative action policies by the state caused “systemwide decline” of at least 12% in racial minority enrollment across its ten campuses. The decline was as high as 25% at the system's Berkeley campus. This may have resulted in part from the removal of race as a factor in financial aid funding as well as admissions decisions.

Today Latinos make up 52% of California high school graduates but 29% of U.C. enrollees. Black students are underrepresented in both the U.C. and California State University systems. Asian students are overrepresented in the U.C. system. The two systems together enrolled about 767,000 students in the fall of 2019.

Voters in 2020 rejected a ballot initiative to reinstate affirmative-action admissions at California's public universities and in state hiring and contracting policies.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
University of California: The impact of Proposition 209
EdSource: Dropping affirmative action had huge impact on California's public universities
Ballotpedia: California Proposition 16
University of California: Fall enrollment at a glance
California State University: Enrollment
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.