US Military Academies Discontinue Racial Preferences in Admission Policies

April 12, 2025 TruthUSA

The policy modifications could facilitate the resolution of lawsuits involving both service institutions.

The U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point announced that race is no longer considered in their admissions protocols—a change that may bring ongoing litigation closer to resolution.

In distinct letters dispatched to federal courts in Colorado and New York on Friday, the academies sought a 60-day pause in the lawsuits filed against them by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), asserting that the admissions policies under scrutiny are now obsolete.

SFFA, which achieved a significant win in the Supreme Court in 2023 that invalidated race-based admissions for both public and private universities, initiated lawsuits against the military academies shortly after that ruling. At that time, the court explicitly exempted the academies from the same constitutional standards applicable to civilian institutions, with Chief Justice John Roberts acknowledging that they might have “potentially distinct interests” in preserving a racially diverse officer corps.

The policy changes that prompted the request for a moratorium, the academies reported, arise from directives issued by President Donald Trump, whose administration is focused on dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across all branches of the U.S. military as part of a larger effort to refocus military priorities.

To align with the president’s military vision, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has mandated the elimination of DEI initiatives and offices within his department, which includes discontinuing the practice of factoring in race or sex for cadet admissions at military academies.

The U.S. Air Force Academy, situated in Colorado Springs, indicated in its letter that it has already ceased its race-based admissions practices following a series of directives from the White House and Pentagon. These include a recent memorandum dated February 6 issued by Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gwendolyn DeFilippi, instructing the elimination of “quotas, objectives, and goals based on sex, race, or ethnicity for organizational composition, academic admission, career fields, or class composition.”

As stated by the Academy, the fundamental constitutional issue in the SFFA lawsuit revolves around whether its previous policy contravened the Fifth Amendment by permitting any consideration of race in admissions. However, the institution’s current admissions procedure “no longer permits any consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex.”

The Academy has asked the court to postpone the case for 60 days to discuss with SFFA whether the policy adjustments are adequate to conclude the case.

Similarly, West Point—located just north of New York City—has reported that it has taken all necessary steps to adhere to the president’s directives and agency policy directives to ensure that race and ethnicity no longer play a role in admissions. The academy aims to use the 60-day window to continue discussions with SFFA towards a potential resolution.

“At this stage, the parties are continuing discussions regarding the specifics of West Point’s revised policy and its implications for this litigation,” the academy articulated in its own letter.

This development follows a report from the U.S. Naval Academy, which declared it would no longer consider race, ethnicity, or sex in its admissions processes, also seeking to pause a lawsuit initiated by SFFA. A federal judge ruled in December 2024 that the Annapolis-based academy could continue with its racial preferences in the admissions process.

Edward Blum, president of SFFA, did not respond immediately to a request for comment but has expressed approval for the Naval Academy’s decision.

“Students for Fair Admissions welcomes the announcement that the U.S. Naval Academy will end its unfair and illegal race-based admissions policies,” he stated in a March release. “Racial discrimination is wrong and racial classifications should not have a place in our nation’s military academies.”

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