Legal Question in Education Law in California

Greetings,

I am a post-baccalaureate pre-nursing student that has recently submitted nursing school applications. I received my first rejection today. The nursing school cited that I had not completed all prerequisites for admission, and that my application was therefore incomplete. Specifically, the prerequisite was a "Social/Cultural Patterns Course."

Because my transcript shows a variety of these course types (my undergraduate degree is in Chicano Studies, with a minor in public health), I immediately contacted the admissions committee. They responded by e-mail by stating that the courses did not satisfy this requirement because it would be like "an Asian student taking an Asian studies course," and that would therefore "not be acceptable." I had not previously disclosed my ethnicity, but my last name is Lopez.

Frankly, I feel wronged and discriminated. A rejection based on lacking the appropriate credentials or an academic record that doesn't coincide with their requirements I would understand, but rejecting me because of my ethnicity is baffling. Is there anything else I can do?

Thank you


Asked on 9/10/12, 9:51 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Harrell W. Andrew Harrell, Attorney at Law

Was the rejection from a public or private nursing school? Did the application list the specific course requirements, including a course in "social/cultural patterns?" I doubt if there are many courses with that specific name, so it is likely that they accept equivalent social science courses. It is discriminatory to reject your application by using your ethnicity to question the validity of the undergraduate course that you submit as an equivalent to "social/cultural patterns." They can only question the applicability of the course content, not your ethnicity. Tell them to reconsider, otherwise bring suit against them.

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Answered on 9/11/12, 8:02 am


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