This paper examines recent changes in admissions patterns and policies of some of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the U.S., with particular reference to the University of California-Berkeley. It focuses specifically on the recent moves away from the application of strict meritocratic admissions criteria toward an increasing reliance on subjective or nonacademic criteria and an emerging but vaguely defined concept of diversity. It also assesses the impact of these changes on both the admissions of Asian American students and the time-honored principle of meritocracy upon which these world-class universities have built their reputations of academic excellence. It is concluded that current efforts to limit Asian American access to high-quality education are a manifestation of a very old anti-Asian bias. This racist bias is deeply woven into the fabric of our society and embedded in our culture and national consciousness.