Student With 4.42 GPA Is Suing For Discrimination After Being Rejected From 16 Universities
He had a near perfect SAT score, launched his own start-up and was even offered a PhD-level position at Google.
Mangostar | Shutterstock Stanley Zhong checked all of the boxes when it came to the dream college applicant. He had a near perfect score on his SAT, a 4.42 GPA, and had already received a PhD-level job offer to work at Google before he even graduated from high school.
Yet, his impressive record was not enough for nearly every university he applied to. Now, Zhong’s family is calling out the college admissions process for discriminatory practices.
Stanley Zhong was rejected from 16 out of the 18 universities he applied to despite his 4.42 GPA and outstanding resume.
In addition to his grades and once in a lifetime job offer, 19-year-old Stanley, who intended to study computer science, managed his own startup, the e-document signature platform Rabbit-Sign, while he was still in high school.
His skillset was on par for the ideal Harvard or MIT candidate, so when it was time to start applying for colleges in 2023, Stanley and his family were hopeful that he would have no issue getting into some of the country’s top universities. However, they were shocked when rejection after rejection began rolling in.
He was rejected by 16 universities, including Cornell University, Georgia Tech, MIT, The University of Michigan, The University of Washington, and Stanford. Stanley only received an acceptance letter from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Maryland.
Stanley’s father believes that discrimination within the college acceptance process is to blame for his son’s rejections.
“I did hear that Asians seem to be facing a higher bar when it comes to college admissions, but I thought maybe it’s an urban legend,” Stanley’s father, Nan Zhong, told The New York Post. “But then when the rejections rolled in one after another, I was dumbfounded. What started with surprise turned into frustration and then finally it turned into anger.”
When it comes to college admissions, Asian Americans like Stanley have gotten the short end of the stick.
A 2024 study found that Asian American applicants had 28% lower odds of attending an Ivy League school than white applicants with similar qualifications. Another study from 2022 found that Asian Americans scored worse than white students on a personal rating that was strongly correlated with admission.
The Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) argued to the high court that Harvard College, a private university, discriminates against Asian American applicants because they are less likely to be admitted than White, Black, and Hispanic applicants with similar qualifications. They have also sued the University of North Carolina, a public university, over its use of race in college admissions decisions.
Now, the Zhong family is suing the universities that rejected their son.
They are specifically filing lawsuits against the schools in states that had pre-existing laws prohibiting racial discrimination in admissions, such as California and Washington. Nan plans to represent the family in court himself, and used AI to help outline the complaints.
“[Stanley’s admissions] results stand in stark contrast to his receipt of a full-time job offer from Google for a position requiring a PhD degree or equivalent practical experience,” the lawsuit claims. “Stanley’s experience is emblematic of a broader pattern of racial discrimination against highly qualified Asian-American applicants at UC.”
Victor Balta of the University of Washington claims that the school is currently reviewing the lawsuit. “The UW stands behind its admissions process, and we have long recognized that our capacity is limited and we are not able to admit some very talented and capable applicants,” he shared in a statement to The New York Post.
For now, Stanley is working at Google after accepting the job offer he received while still in high school. He is not ruling out going to college as an option in the future.
His father hopes that the lawsuit will raise awareness of the discrimination Asian Americans face in the college admissions process. “This really damages their mental health, creating a sense of helplessness and hopelessness,” he said. “If you look at Stanley’s case as a reference point, even if you’re as good as somebody with a PhD degree, you still might not even get undergraduate admissions.”
Stanley's case serves as a poignant reminder of the need for a more equitable and transparent college admissions process, especially as the Trump administration comes after Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. All students, regardless of their race, deserve equal opportunities.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.