The University of Texas at Austin, a prominent public institution, has decided to stop accepting new students in three majors related to gender, sexuality, and race, a decision that many conservatives view as a significant win.
As confirmed to Fox News Digital, applicants to the university can no longer choose Women’s and Gender Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, or African and African Diaspora Studies as their majors. This decision comes after a trend where other universities have eliminated similar programs and following considerable discussions within UT Austin regarding the future of these majors.
A university spokesperson stated, “In recognition of the changing degree offerings in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, the University is no longer enrolling new students in three majors: Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, and Women’s & Gender Studies.” As a result, these programs have been taken off the university’s admissions applications to prevent new enrollments in programs that are shifting. Current students in these majors will still be able to finish their degrees.
Timur Kuran, a professor at Duke University, shared his thoughts on X, saying that while he wasn’t fully versed in UT Austin’s programs, the decision was predictable. He pointed out that in many English-speaking countries, programs focused on ethnicity and sexuality have become heavily influenced by political activists. He also suggested that more state universities and even private ones might follow suit.
While low enrollment has been a part of the ongoing discussion surrounding these programs, the university hasn’t explicitly stated that this was a factor in their decision to halt new enrollments for the majors.
Earlier this year, the Austin American-Statesman noted that only 307 students were enrolled among all the relevant programs mentioned, a number that constitutes less than 1% of the total undergraduate population of 44,315 at the university in fall 2025.
As one of the largest universities in the U.S., UT Austin has experienced increasing scrutiny from Republican officials regarding its approach to race, gender, and other controversial topics.
The University of Texas System has been reviewing gender identity courses to ensure compliance with legal standards and to align with the Board of Regents’ priorities.
An internal email, which was accessed by the Austin American-Statesman, suggested that while the majors might be phased out, many of the existing courses could still be offered. The idea seems to be to merge the existing majors into one comprehensive program.
Lisa Moore, the chair of women and gender studies at the university, commented before the consolidation announcement that gender and ethnic studies have fundamentally changed the landscape of humanities and social sciences. She emphasized, “We can’t unknow what we know… It’s just not the case that we can believe that only a small slice of human beings are responsible for everything that’s good about the world.”
Not surprisingly, conservatives have a more critical perspective on these fields.
Steve McGuire, associated with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, hailed the elimination of the majors as “the pedagogically responsible thing to do.”
In a post on X, J.D. Haltigan, a research fellow at the Centre for Heterodox Social Science, described the programs as “ridiculous Leftist delusion[s] that have no place in truth-seeking institutions,” advocating for their complete removal from higher education.
Some conservative voices see this decision as a precursor to similar actions in other states. “Every red state should follow suit with their universities,” remarked independent scholar Varad Mehta on X.
Indeed, several universities in red states have already reduced similar programs, including Texas A&M University, Wichita State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Toledo.
As of Friday, UT Austin had not responded to inquiries from Fox News Digital regarding this decision.
