Diversity? Stop admitting students on basis of race, US top court to colleges

US colleges must change policies that consider a student's race when deciding who gets admission, the country's Supreme Court has ruled. This means that institutions of higher education will have to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.

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In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, US' oldest private and public colleges, respectively. The policies “lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points”, the bench said, adding, “We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today.”

The decision represented the latest major rulings powered by US Supreme Court's conservative majority which in June 2022 overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide.

What do universities think?

Many institutions have long backed affirmative action on campuses to remedy racial inequity and also increase exclusion. It also widens the talent pool in the universities. According to Harvard, around 40% of US colleges and universities consider race during the admission process. Harvard and UNC said that they use race as only one factor during individualized evaluations for admission.

What do critics of the policy believe?

Critics have called these policies discriminatory as they believe that it gives unfair advantage to one race making it unconstitutional regardless of the motivation or circumstances. Some believe that remedial preferences are no longer needed- thus violating the guarantee to equal protection of the law under the US Constitution's 14th Amendment.

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