Nearly 40 Universities Maintain Neo-Segregated Housing Despite HUD Demand to End Practice

Nearly 40 universities across the nation this year continue to offer neo-segregated dorms and housing opportunities despite a recent demand from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to end race-based discriminatory residential programs.

Research by The College Fix found 39 universities this fall semester operate “affinity housing” or “living-learning communities” geared toward students of a particular race or ethnicity.

Proponents argue such arrangements improve retention rates, foster peer mentorship, and support academic integration for historically underrepresented groups. However, these offerings have been deemed a euphemism for discrimination by the Trump administration. Another term used to describe such arrangements is “neo-segregation.”

Fix research identified 39 universities with one or more such residential programs, but because many universities operate multiple communities, the total number of individual segregated housing programs is substantially higher, coming in at 74.

Of the 39 universities, at least 28 offer housing geared toward black or African students, 17 toward Hispanic or Latino students, 10 toward Native American or Indigenous students, and nine toward Asian students. Several universities offer multiple affinity housing programs.

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In a June 23 letter, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor warned colleges against “institutionalized separatism on the basis of race” and pledged that HUD would “aggressively” pursue institutions that violate federal fair-housing requirements.

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Cal State Los Angeles offers a “Black living-learning community … designed to enhance the residential experience for students who are a part of or interested in issues of concern to the Black community living on campus,” according to its website.

UC Berkeley offers an African American Theme Program, “aka Afro Floor … Living & Learning Amongst the African Diaspora,” its website states.

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