Texas\u2019 flagship public university is ending new enrollment in three majors focused on gender, sexuality and race in a move that is being hailed by many conservatives as a major victory.<\/p>\n
Students applying to the University of Texas at Austin can no longer select Women\u2019s and Gender Studies, Mexican American and Latina\/o Studies or African and African Diaspora Studies as majors, the institution has confirmed to Fox News Digital. The move follows a slew of other universities dropping similar majors and heated internal deliberations at UT Austin about whether to keep theirs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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\u2019s & Gender Studies,\u201d a university spokesman<\/a> told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, as you might expect, those majors have been removed from the University\u2019s admissions applications to avoid new students enrolling in majors that are changing. Students currently enrolled in those majors will be able to complete their degree,\u201d the statement continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know the particulars of UT Austin\u2019s programs. But this news is unsurprising. Across the Anglosphere, ethnic and sexuality studies have long been captured by political activists,\u201d Timur Kuran, a professor of economics and political science at Duke University, wrote on X. \u201cOther state universities, and even private ones, will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n University of Texas students call for the resignation of President Jim Davis and Provost William Inboden over the university\u2019s consolidation of ethnic and gender studies programs on Sept. 10, 2026. Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images<\/p>\n University of Texas at Austin students attend the grand opening of the university\u2019s Gender and Sexuality Center in Austin, Texas on Jan. 28, 2005. Getty Images<\/p>\n Low enrollment has been part of the broader debate over the programs, although UT Austin has not publicly said it was the reason for ending new enrollment in the three majors.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the Austin American-Statesman reported that the university had just 307 students enrolled across the entirety of African and African diaspora studies, Mexican American and Latino studies, women and gender studies and American studies, citing institutional data.<\/p>\n That represents less than 1% of the 44,315 undergraduates who were enrolled at the university in fall 2025.<\/p>\n UT Austin, which is one of the largest universities in the nation, has also faced growing pressure from Republican state and federal officials over how it handles race, gender and other politically sensitive subjects.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The University of Texas System has reviewed courses on gender identity to assess compliance with state and federal law and alignment with Board of Regents priorities.<\/p>\n An internal email obtained by the Austin American-Statesman indicates that, while the majors may be on the way out, much of the coursework could remain.<\/p>\n The plan appears to be to consolidate the defunct majors into a single offering.<\/p>\n \u201cGender and ethnic studies have transformed the study of the humanities and social sciences, and now they are what they are,\u201d Lisa Moore, the university\u2019s chair of women and gender studies, said prior to the consolidation announcement. \u201cWe can\u2019t unknow what we know\u2026 It\u2019s just not the case that we can believe that only a small slice of human beings are responsible for everything that\u2019s good about the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The University of Texas System has reviewed courses on gender identity to assess compliance with state and federal law and alignment with Board of Regents priorities. A Beautiful World \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Lisa Moore, director of Women\u2019s Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Texas, is pictured in her office in Burdine Hall in Austin, Texas, on February 18, 2026. Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images<\/p>\n Conservatives, unsurprisingly, have a less rosy view of the field.<\/p>\n Steve McGuire, a fellow at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, called axing the majors \u201cthe pedagogically responsible thing to do.<\/a>\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cExcellent news. These programs are not \u2018viewpoint diversity.\u2019 They are ridiculous Leftist delusion[s] that have no place in truth-seeking institutions,\u201d J.D. Haltigan<\/a>, a research fellow at the Centre for Heterodox Social Science, wrote on X. \u201cThey should be abolished entirely from every institution of higher-learning.\u201d<\/p>\n Some on the right see this as a sign of things to come.<\/p>\n