When thinking about how to pay for college tuition fees, students needing financial help face two options: student loans and scholarships. Of course, scholarships sound more appealing, but because of affirmative action, some students are unfairly more eligible to scholarships than other students.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines affirmative action as action taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business. However, scholarships that take affirmative action and base their awards on race violate the rights of everyone to equal opportunity and equal consideration.

Some advocates of affirmative action endorse preferential treatment as a sort of compensation for past exclusions of minorities from academics and employment. Other supporters see affirmative action as a way to promote societal equality.

But is it morally and ethically right to give preference to some individuals to make up for past wrongdoings? It is not modern white people’s fault that minorities were excluded from many aspects of society in the past, yet affirmative action burdens whites today for actions taken by distant ancestors.

Race-oriented scholarships also detach rewards from a person’s character, talents, and abilities.

In his well-known “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Affirmative action devalues accomplishments of those it intends to help. It lessens merit and character to race, giving racial diversity more prominence over qualification.

Scholarships based on race also encourage students to think of themselves as being disadvantaged, even when they’re not. Stating that only minorities of a certain race may apply for a scholarship can be both offensive and racist since they imply that minorities are inferior and need more help in achieving their goals.

While people of any and all backgrounds need financial aid to pay for tuition fees, race-oriented scholarships do not help close the gap between diverse races in society.