Affirmative Action Challenge and Supreme Court Guidance

Supreme Court Cases: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and UNC

America’s higher education institutions have long recognized and cultivated the educational benefits of diversity. AACRAO believes holistic admissions practices are instrumental in helping institutions to identify students who are likely to thrive in their educational programs.

We will continue our efforts in support of equitable access to education. Our meetings, workshops, and digital platforms will continue to have space for institutions to work towards confronting implicit bias and addressing systemic inequities. We will provide support to institutions as they reframe their admissions plans in light of this legislation, while ensuring that the successes of minoritized students are not set back. And we will work to ensure that data-informed processes are built to develop and improve student support and programming.

Read our statement on the rulings to learn more.

Webinars

The Supreme Court Speaks: Understanding the Implications of Race-Conscious Admission Decision

3:00-4:30 PM ET | JULY 19, 2023

AACRAO, NACAC, NASFAA have joined together to present a webinar on the SFFA v Harvard and UNC cases. This webinar will provide attendees with a streamlined, practical analysis of two recent U.S. Supreme Court cases challenging race-conscious admission policies: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC.

Looking Back, Planning Ahead

On February 2, 2023, AACRAO hosted a webinar that examines the pending U.S. Supreme cases where the central question is whether colleges and universities can continue to consider an applicant’s race and ethnicity as part of the holistic review process in admissions.

View Recording

AACRAO Process Examination Guidelines

AACRAO encourages members to begin to examine any admissions or recruitment practices that target populations of a specific race as well as their overall holistic/equity admissions practices.

To assist in this process, AACRAO is providing this guidance document to prepare our members for a possible major change in their ability to consider an applicant’s race and ethnicity as part of a holistic/equity review in admissions.

REVIEW GUIDANCE

Updates

UNC Admissions Case Appealed to the Supreme Court

Nov 12, 2021, 11:04 AM

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Summary : If the 6-3 conservative court agrees to hear the case, it could potentially issue a sweeping ruling striking down the use of racial distinctions in higher education admissions.

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In an expected move, the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) appealed a recent federal court decision upholding the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's use of race in admissions to the U.S. Supreme Court, reported Reuters and Inside Higher Ed.

SFFA petitioned the court to fast-track the case and combine it with a similar case challenging Harvard's admissions policies. The group filed suit against both institutions in 2014, alleging that universities' admissions policies discriminated against Asian American, and in the case of UNC, white applicants.

"If the Supreme Court decides, as it should, to reconsider racial preferences in college admissions, it should consider that question in the context of both a private school and a public school," SFFA President Edward Blum said in a statement.

The group's petition also asks the court to overturn the landmark 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger ruling that has shaped admissions policies for nearly two decades. If the 6-3 conservative court agrees to hear the case, it could potentially issue a sweeping ruling striking down the use of racial distinctions in higher education admissions.