Asian Students Are America’s STEM Advantage: Why Merit Should Matter

There is broad agreement in the United States that we need more STEM graduates. While the Trump administration wants those graduates to be American-born, as it turns out, Asians earn bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group. Moreover, regardless of citizenship status, Asians pursue these degrees at higher rates than U.S.-born citizens across all groups, with those who have obtained citizenship through naturalization and those without citizenship doing so at the highest rates.

These students, along with their immigrant families, strengthen American STEM education, helping to close the significant talent gap and accelerate advanced industries, which is crucial given China’s techno-economic rise. Yet some educational institutions are moving away from merit-based admissions in an attempt to foster “equal opportunity” and racial diversity—initiatives that can disadvantage entire groups of students despite strong academic performance. Policymakers should ensure that admissions in academic settings are merit-based, protecting equal treatment for all students and sustaining the excellence and innovation that underpin U.S. competitiveness.

Regardless of citizenship status, Asian students pursue bachelor’s degrees in STEM at much higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups. In 2023, Census Bureau ACS data showed that 18 percent of Asians who attained a bachelor’s degree earned a STEM degree, compared to 6 percent of White students and 6 percent across all racial groups. (See figure 1.)

Figure 1: STEM degrees share of the total bachelor's degrees by race in 2023 (all citizenship status)

This is no surprise, as the top three bachelor’s degree majors for all races were in non-STEM areas. Indeed, for all races, the top majors were business management, psychology, and nursing. For White students, the top three degrees were also non-STEM degrees: business administration, psychology, and general business. Yet for Asians, two of the top three majors were STEM fields: first, computer science, and second, electrical engineering. (See table 1.)

Table 1: Top bachelor's degree majors by race in 2023

Over time, Asian students have consistently pursued STEM bachelor’s degrees at higher rates. From 2013 to 2023 (with no data for 2020), about 15 percent or more of Asian students who earned a bachelor’s degree majored in STEM. In comparison, only 4 to 6 percent of White students earned STEM degrees. The overall average across all races also remained between 4 and 6 percent. (See figure 2.)

Figure 2: STEM degrees share of the total bachelor's degrees by race from 2013 to 2023 (regardless of citizenship status)

When disaggregated by citizenship status, Asians still consistently pursued STEM bachelor’s degrees at higher rates. For those with U.S. citizenship by birth, 7 to 10 percent of Asian Americans who earned a bachelor’s degree did so in STEM fields from 2013 to 2023. In comparison, only 4 to 6 percent of White students with a bachelor’s degree did so in STEM. Similarly, only 4 to 5 percent of people across all races attained a STEM degree. (See figure 3.)

Figure 3: U.S. citizens through birth's STEM degrees share of the total bachelor's degrees by race from 2013 to 2023

Asians who attained U.S. citizenship through naturalization pursued STEM degrees at an even higher rate. Between 2013 and 2023, 17 to 20 percent of Asian students with naturalized citizenship who earned a bachelor’s degree pursued it in STEM. Only 4 to 5 percent of U.S.-born citizens across all races did the same. (See figure 3.) In other words, naturalized Asian immigrants also significantly expand the United States STEM talent pipeline.

Figure 4: STEM degrees share of the total bachelor's degrees by race and citizenship attainment method from 2013 to 2023

Asians without U.S. citizenship pursued STEM at even higher rates than Asians with citizenship. From 2013 to 2023, 22 to 29 percent of non-citizen Asians who earned a bachelor’s degree did so in STEM fields, compared to just 4 to 5 percent of U.S.-born citizens across all racial groups. As such, non-citizen Asians who choose to stay in the United States after graduation contribute heavily to sustaining the U.S. STEM talent base and reducing the STEM skills shortage. (See figure 4.)

Figure 5: STEM degrees share of the total bachelor's degrees by race and citizenship status from 2013 to 2023

One clear implication of Asians’ higher likelihood of pursuing degrees in STEM fields is the need to reject affirmative action programs that discriminate against them. The Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision in 2023 made that point unmistakably. Evidence showed that Harvard systematically gave Asian American applicants lower scores on subjective “personal ratings,” even when they excelled academically and in extracurriculars. In other words, their success was treated as a problem to be managed rather than a strength to be rewarded.

Asian students have also faced discrimination at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, one of the nation’s top STEM magnet schools. In 2020, the school changed its admissions process from one focused on merit to a “holistic” one designed to reduce the share of students from a particular race. As a result, the share of Asian American students fell from 73 percent to 54 percent in just one year, despite their strong performance in merit-based criteria.

These two cases highlight why admissions in educational institutions should uphold merit-based standards that ensure no group of students is disadvantaged. As Justice Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion for the Harvard case:

Yet Harvard and UNC now forthrightly state that they racially discriminate when it comes to admitting students. They argue that their discrimination is a good thing that ought to continue indefinitely, and they encourage the Court to look past discrimination against Asian applicants and focus instead on the supposed benefits of race-conscious admission programs for blacks and Hispanics. But the Constitution embodies a simple truth: Two discriminatory wrongs cannot make a right.

Not only are such initiatives counterproductive in terms of providing “equal opportunity,” but they also discourage the very excellence and innovation needed for sustained economic growth. As Americans, we should be grateful that Asian students are entering STEM fields at such high rates, especially given the significant talent shortage. Their ongoing commitment strengthens our nation’s innovation capacity, industrial base, and global competitiveness. Academic success is an asset that should be rewarded, not penalized.