The Department of Homeland Security has announced the termination of race-based admissions requirements within the U.S. Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), a scholarship program designed to train college students as future active-duty officers.

Under the new policy, CSPI applicants no longer receive preferences based on the racial composition of their educational institutions. The initiative previously included criteria favoring students from schools that had met federal quotas for enrollment of specific racial groups.

The change is part of an administration-wide effort to eliminate race-based preferences in federal hiring and recruitment processes. DHS General Counsel James Percival stated: “Racial quotas, like those included in this program for students who want to enlist and commission as officers in the U.S. Coast Guard, are a direct violation of the United States Constitution’s equal protection requirements.”

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division emphasized: “Access to opportunities like the Coast Guard’s pre-commissioning initiative should be based exclusively on merit, not the racial composition of your college.”

The CSPI program—targeted at motivated college juniors and seniors enrolled at federally designated Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)—remains operational but now prioritizes academic achievement and leadership without race-based considerations. This decision aligns with the Supreme Court’s ruling in SFFA v. Harvard, which established that race-based discrimination in higher education violates constitutional protections.

The Coast Guard maintains its commitment to military readiness by ensuring officers are selected based on merit and performance.