The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling states that race can no longer be considered a factor in college admissions when it comes to schools providing decisions to build an incoming class. In the opinion of the Supreme Court justices who voted to strike down affirmative action, race was seen as a factor that was giving students an unfair advantage.
Even before this ruling, in discussing with admissions representatives across schools with holistic reviews – meaning the admissions committee reviews many factors presented in the application, including but not limited to academic performance within the context of the high school, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, the student’s essay and supplement writing, and demographics – not one said race was the only or superseding factor in the admissions decision. However, the recent ruling specifically states that race alone cannot be used at all as a factor.
What does this mean for rising seniors who are applying for college admissions in this cycle? For most students, there will be no change in how they present themselves on the application. In fact, the University of California and California State University systems eliminated race as a standalone factor in 1998. The UC system implemented a number of changes that will likely be adopted by many campuses in the next few years.
Impacts of eliminating race
Here are a number of potential impacts:
• Statements by colleges and universities about their continued commitment to diversity are already being posted on a daily basis. Colleges want their academic classes to align with the demographics of the country. Like the UCs, there will be extensive outreach in underrepresented communities to encourage applications. It is possible that dollars and efforts may be diverted from affluent areas like Los Altos to focus on locations where there are fewer college-bound students.
• Expect delays in the posting of supplemental essays, which in prior years are usually available around Aug. 1, for colleges on the Common App that use additional writing in their decision process. Many schools have had some sort of diversity question and are now working with their admissions committees and legal departments to ensure the questions are not in violation of the ruling. The ruling did state that a student can write about how their identity (including race) has shaped their lived experience. So, a student can still choose to write about their lived experience from the perspective of their race or background, and a college can take that into consideration in their admissions decision.
For example, Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., has been the first to address the ruling head-on with its new supplemental question (one of four that a student can choose from): “In the syllabus of a 2023 majority decision of the Supreme Court written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the author notes: ‘Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.’ Drawing upon examples from your life, a quality of your character, and/or a unique ability you possess, describe how you believe your goals for a college education might be impacted, influenced, or affected by the Court’s decision.”
• Colleges are rethinking their scholarship and grant programs. Western Illinois University, for example, quickly announced it was ending its diversity scholarship awards for both current and future students. After significant backlash, it reinstated the application as of July 31, while awaiting ruling on the legality of the scholarship as it has it now defined and working its way through modifying it to meet current requirements.
• Colleges and universities will begin looking at other preferential admissions practices such as legacy, athletic recruiting and large-donor influences. Legacy is the current practice under the most scrutiny, and multiple lawsuits have already been filed.
Recently, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Wesleyan University and Virginia Tech have announced they will no longer consider legacy in the admissions process. Amherst College, Pomona College and MIT had previously announced as well. Legacy preference was originally developed as a way to specifically exclude minority populations, giving descendant white students a 200- to 300-year head-start in admissions preferences.
It is too soon to determine the long-term effects of this ruling, but it is safe to say that change is the norm regarding college admissions factors.
For a more detailed discussion, listen to our podcast “College Unlocked,” Episode 15, available on both Spotify and iTunes.
Hollis Bischoff is a college admissions adviser for College Unlocked. For more information, email [email protected] or visit collegeunlocked.com.
