Affirmative action is an approach to university admissions that favors historically underrepresented groups, and has been in use since the early 1970s. The goal of affirmative action is to diversify student populations and make college degrees more accessible for underserved communities. A Supreme Court ruling in June 2023 banned race-based affirmative action practices nationwide, with significant consequences for colleges’ demographics.
Affirmative action in higher education involves considering applicants’ identities and demographic information (race, ethnicity, gender, etc.) as one factor among many in college admissions. Its primary goal is to remedy historical inequalities by increasing opportunities for minorities who have been historically excluded or marginalized in academic settings. Because affirmative action favors Black, Hispanic, and Native American students in admissions, it reduces the acceptance rates of white and Asian American students to highly selective schools. Opponents of affirmative action argue it violates “equal protection” under the fourteenth amendment, leads to “reverse discrimination,” and undermines meritocracy.
An opinion piece in the New York Times argued that considering socioeconomic status should take precedence over race because of how affirmative action doesn’t benefit poor Asian American or white applicants, while others argue that it is not sufficient. So far, affirmative action has been the most effective policy in attaining diverse student bodies, and some worry that without it, schools may miss out on the broader, richer diversity that affirmative action was designed to bring.
Opposition to affirmative action has a long history; notably, in 1996, Cheryl J. Hopwood alongside three white males sued the University of Texas School of Law for accepting Black and Hispanic students with lower SAT scores and GPAs, and won. The university was barred from considering race in admissions. Later that year, Proposition 209 was approved by voters in California, banning affirmative action by governmental institutions, including public universities. Washington, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona, and New Hampshire soon followed with similar state-wide restrictions. Influenced by the growing Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, universities and institutions around the US began to make more concerted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. In 2022, Washington reversed its ban on affirmative action. However, backlash prevailed and reached a peak in 2023 when the Supreme Court ruled against University of North Carolina (UNC) and Harvard University, striking down race-conscious admissions.
Over the course of the 2024-25 school year, data is trickling in to reveal the effects of the Supreme Court ruling. The number of Black students admitted to Harvard decreased by twenty-two percent this year while at UNC the number decreased by twenty-five percent. The number of Latinos admitted into Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this year decreased by thirty-one percent while Asian American enrollment jumped seven percent. These are only the effects that we can already see; we can expect long-term effects to emerge in the future. Taking away equitable access to honorable selective college degrees for underrepresented groups reduces their chances of attaining high-paying jobs and leadership positions.
Although overall dips in racial diversity are clear, interpreting data trends is not straightforward. Most college admissions allow for students to self-report their race and select multiple races if they identify as multiracial. When compiling data, some universities may decide to double count self-identifying multiracial students while others do not. The question of whether or not to include international students and those who didn’t disclose their race further complicates analysis of immediate effects.
Schools are now approaching the ban with revamped policies that aim to maintain diverse student bodies. Some institutions have focused on socioeconomic status by waiving fees, expanding financial aid offers, and pouring energy into recruitment, targeting outreach at lower-income communities. Moreover, schools are creating more holistic admission by connecting with high school guidance counselors, relying on personal essays, letters of recommendation, and life experiences. As schools take these new avenues, they are poised for further legal challenges and lawsuits. Critics debate whether this approach is sufficient for equity or, perhaps, preferable.
As university and college admissions adapt to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the controversy over how to most equitably provide college education will evolve. Proposed solutions will determine how accessible and diverse universities are for future generations, including current high school students.
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