A federal judge has allowed a civil rights lawsuit alleging anti-Asian bias in college admissions to move forward, clearing a significant legal hurdle for a Palo Alto, California, family. The ruling denied the University of Washington's motion to dismiss Stanley Zhong's Title VI claims against the university, allowing the case to proceed into discovery.
Nan Zhong, Stanley's father, stated that the judge found sufficient factual allegations to support their claims of racially discriminatory admissions practices that disadvantage highly qualified Asian-American applicants. The family has filed federal lawsuits against multiple institutions, including the University of California system, the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, and Cornell University.
Stanley Zhong, now 21, graduated from Henry M. Gunn High School with a 4.42 weighted GPA and a 1590 SAT score, ranking in the top 9% of his class. Despite his academic achievements, he was rejected by 16 of the 18 colleges he applied to. Shortly after these rejections, Google hired him as a full-time software engineer, a role his family's filing notes typically requires a Ph.D. or equivalent experience.
The University of Washington Board of Regents acknowledged the ruling, stating, "We're pleased that the court dismissed many of the claims and two of the three plaintiffs." The spokesperson added, "Admission to the Allen School is highly competitive and the vast majority of out-of-state applicants are not admitted because, as Washington’s flagship university, we prioritize Washington residents for admission."
Nan Zhong expressed that the ruling allows them to proceed with requesting internal documents, communications, and admissions data. He views the lawsuit as part of a larger effort to address systemic anti-Asian bias in higher education, citing numerous other families who have shared similar experiences.
Stanley Zhong was also accepted to the University of Maryland and the University of Texas-Austin but ultimately chose to accept the position at Google in the fall of 2023. The family spent over a year researching admissions trends before filing their lawsuits, concluding that such bias persists despite recent legal precedents.