Google engineer sues 16 US universities over alleged racial discrimination in admissions

The 19-year-old and his father filed lawsuits in February against the University of California system and the U.S. Department of Education, claiming Asian American applicants face unfair treatment in college admissions, according to ABC7 News.

"What we're trying to get out of this is fair treatment for future Asian applicants, including my other kids and future grandkids," said Nan Zhong, Stanley's father.

He added that many Asian American students with strong credentials have faced rejections, and the family has gathered evidence suggesting universities impose limitations on Asian applicants, even as the community continues to grow in California.

Two years ago, Stanley scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT, placing him in the top 1% of test takers worldwide. He had a 3.97 unweighted GPA and a 4.42 weighted GPA, according to Daily Mail. Beyond academics, he founded a tutoring program for underprivileged children, launched Rabbit-Sign, a free electronic signature service, and was recruited by Google at 13, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Stanley Zhong. Photo from X

Despite his stellar credentials, he was rejected by 16 of the 18 universities he applied to in 2023, prompting debates on the fairness of U.S. college admissions. Stanley was denied by the following colleges: MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cornell University, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, Caltech, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin.

He was only admitted to the University of Texas and Maryland. "There's nothing more un-American than this," his father told the New York Post. "I don't really think [these schools] give a damn about the damage they're doing to these kids," he added.

This marks the second lawsuit this year accusing the UC system of discriminatory admissions.

The University of California denies wrongdoing. Rachael Zaentz, senior director of Strategic and Critical Communications at the UC Office of the President, said the university had not yet received the lawsuit but would challenge the allegations.

"If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices," she told ABC7 News, calling the lawsuit "meritless" and arguing it distracts from the university’s mission of providing "a world-class education". Zaentz also noted that since race-based admissions were banned in California in 1996, UC has adjusted its admissions process to comply with the law.

A spokesperson for the University of Washington told the New York Post that the school "stands behind its admissions process", adding, "We recognize our capacity is limited, and we cannot admit all talented applicants."

The University of Michigan said it had not yet received the lawsuit.

Daily Mail has reached out to the universities and the U.S. Department of Education for further comment.