UT Austin Will Stop Admitting New Students To Four Race- and Gender-Focused Majors After Faculty Proposal Is Rejected

The University of Texas at Austin will no longer enroll new students in several undergraduate majors centered on race, ethnicity and gender after university administrators rejected a faculty plan to preserve those programs, faculty members say. Current students in the affected majors will be allowed to finish their degrees.

What’s Changing

UT Austin has informed faculty that it will discontinue new admissions for the following majors: African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Race, Indigeneity and Migration. A university spokesperson confirmed the decision and said students already enrolled may complete their degrees.

Background And Timeline

The move follows a major restructuring plan announced in February to consolidate several departments that focus on race, ethnicity and gender into a single Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Faculty were given a short window—about two weeks in August—to recommend which majors should continue under the consolidated department. Faculty proposed a new Social and Cultural Analysis major while retaining most existing majors, but administrators declined that proposal.

“Eliminating a major in this way is censorship. It is reducing what students are able to study,” said Professor Julie Minich, who teaches Mexican American and Latina/o Studies.

Which Programs Remain

American Studies and Urban Studies will remain as standalone majors. Interim College of Liberal Arts dean Daniel Brinks has suggested creating either a broader Ethnic Studies major or a Social and Cultural Analysis major with distinct tracks—options faculty say are not equivalent to preserving independent, discipline-specific majors.

Faculty Concerns And Wider Context

Faculty members have voiced frustration about the lack of a clear explanation from university leadership for why the majors must be eliminated. Associate Professor Lauren Gutterman said there was no direct communication from the provost detailing the reasons and that there is no evidence the decision responded to changes in student demand.

Professors warn the change could reduce course availability, shrink academic breadth, and limit preparation for careers that require deep knowledge of racial, ethnic, and gender issues. UT Austin has historically been influential in the development of fields such as Mexican American studies, faculty note.

The decision comes amid broader developments in Texas higher education policy. Texas' Senate Bill 17 (effective 2024) barred diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities, and Senate Bill 37 (2025) expanded oversight authority for governor-appointed regents over academic programs, curriculum and hiring. The UT System Board of Regents has also approved policies—most recently in May—that make it easier for university presidents to close programs and that introduce restrictions on so-called "controversial" classroom material.

Reporting outlets note that state and federal law do not expressly prohibit teaching about race, gender or sexuality, but faculty and students worry these regulatory shifts and governance changes create pressure on programs devoted to these topics.

What’s Next: Faculty say course offerings for the next semester are uncertain, and they are watching for further administrative guidance about curriculum, staffing and the long-term fate of scholars and courses in the affected fields.