Post-SFFA v. Harvard & UNC Decision Resources: Admissions and Beyond

​College applicants are still writing about race in their applications, and counselors and colleges are encouraging applicants more than ever to explore their racial and ethnic identities and their views on diversity.

​Scrutiny over early decision admissions policies increased following the Supreme Court's ruling, with some advocates calling for an end to the practice. Few institutions are ending their early decision programs for a myriad of reasons.

​In one of the first lawsuits to test the legality of corporate diversity practices in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling, a class-action lawsuit claims the newspaper publisher Gannett “discriminated against non-minorities” to achieve diversity goals.

​Some institutions, experts, and advocates see reparations through admissions as a permissible approach to increase campus diversity, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled such a policy would technically be a race-neutral factor.

​Race-conscious admissions were widely seen to have disadvantaged Asian American students, but many feel that race will still be a hidden factor and that standards are even more opaque than before, reports the Los Angeles Times.

​U.S. companies' diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are losing momentum this year following the Supreme Court's ruling striking down the use of race in admissions.

​Colorado College has created a safe-haven initiative for students wanting to leave institutions of higher education in states that have passed anti-DEI laws, offering admitted students full financial aid consideration and will full credit for transferable coursework.

​At least 42 colleges in New York received complaints alleging programs or scholarships that were only open to women or minorities discriminate on the basis of sex or race, and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has decided some of these programs and scholarships are in conflict with federal discrimination laws and pushed schools to change their practices.

​Butler University is partnering with a national nonprofit to create a new two-year college that will provide an affordable pathway for historically underserved students, offering students the ability to earn an associate’s degree with no debt or out-of-pocket expenses and the opportunity to continue at Butler and earn a bachelor’s degree for less than $10,000.

​The Iowa Board of Regents approved recommendations to eliminate all campuswide diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that are not required for universities to stay compliant with the law or accreditation standards.

​Some California private colleges are increasing their outreach efforts to attract more students and emphasize that the Supreme Court's decision doesn’t change their belief in the importance of diversity.

​Brookings found that the impacts of the Supreme Court's decision striking down race-conscience admissions will mostly impact a relatively small number of selective institutions.

​Princeton University Press published a discussion with four experts on how college environments benefit from racial diversity and how colleges can achieve it.

​Race-based scholarships have played a crucial role in addressing systemic inequalities and are essential for promoting diversity and inclusivity on college campuses, writes Noël Harmon, Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund president.

​The New York State Bar Association said in a report that institutions that want to achieve diversity should eliminate the preferential treatment in admissions given to athletes, the children of alumni and the family of donors.

​With direct admissions policies on the rise, 70 colleges and universities used the Common Application to offer admissions to more than 200,000 students--even if they did not apply--targeting those who would be first-generation college students or come from families with significant financial need.

​A bipartisan bill called the MERIT Act introduced in the Senate in November would add a new standard for accreditation under the Higher Education Act that would prohibit institutions from giving preferential treatment during the admissions process based on an applicant’s relationship to alumni or donors.

​Preliminary data from the Common App show a 41 percent increase from the 2019–20 application cycle in applications submitted before Nov. 1, sparked by a big upswing in minority applicants.

​The Legal Defense Fund and several other organizations released a report that offers a legal history of race-conscience admissions in higher education, analyzes the Supreme Court’s decision in the SFFA cases, discusses the racial justice consequences, and provides recommendations.

​Higher Ed Dive looks at the various ways data on legacy admissions is reported, which can complicate research efforts and understandings of the practice.

​After the Supreme Court struck down the use of race in admissions, schools in North Texas are exploring alternative ways to ensure diverse students have access.

​The Education Trust writes that "banning the box" is one way for institutions to open their doors to those facing barriers to college access due to a history with the legal system.

Lawfare writes that the government has some room to make the case for why the use of race considerations for admissions at the military academies should be considered different by the courts, yet whether it can successfully explain why is the question.

​Two attorneys from Duane Morris describe in an op-ed another case pending before the Supreme Court that may further restrict what employers lawfully can do to increase diversity.

​At least six universities in Virginia have begun offering guaranteed admissions to address declining enrollment numbers and help bolster populations of underrepresented students.

​Led by Gov. Maura Healey, Massachusetts issued guidance to support the Commonwealth’s institutions, focusing primarily on admissions and access in higher education, while also including steps K-12 schools can take to set students up for success.

​A Republican-backed bill would require University of Wisconsin schools and technical colleges to only weigh financial need and not race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or religion when awarding grants and loans or creating enrollment and retention plans.

​The Chronicle of Higher Education analyzes colleges’ supplementary essay prompts to see how they might have changed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on race-conscious admissions.

This NACUANOTE summarizes the majority opinion, three concurrences, and two dissents. It then discusses the potential implications for higher education, not only in the context of admissions but also with respect to financial aid and outreach and recruitment programs.​

​A new survey from Inside Higher Ed found that most college and university presidents disagree with the Supreme Court's decision on race-conscious admissions and think it will reduce diversity in higher education.

​Cornell's Presidential Task Force on Undergraduate Admissions issued its final report in September 2023 outlining a cooperative, flexible and analytical approach to admissions.

​At Cornell University, an internal task force issued a 40-page report with recommendations for how the university could alter its admissions work to help diversify its undergraduate population.

​There are now 10 states with system-level direct admissions policies, and some experts say that number is likely to multiply in the coming year.

​Arkansas lawmakers questioned representatives from six public colleges and schools on their diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices during a subcommittee meeting.

​The New York Times reports on how Census categories for race and ethnicity have changed over the last 230 years.

​Students for Fair Admissions sued the U.S. Naval Academy, saying the academy “has no justification for using race-based admissions.”

​Students for Fair Admissions sued the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, saying the school's race-conscious admissions practices unconstitutionally discriminate against white applicants.

​The Princeton Weekly takes a close look at how Princeton is responding to the SCOTUS decision and how the ruling could impact the university.

​A group founded by Edward Blum, who led the successful Supreme Court challenge to race-conscious college admissions policies, said it was considering legal action against three law firms' diversity fellowship programs.

​This report identifies key themes from the relevant research on the recruitment and admissions practices that will play a significant role in the future of college student diversity. Additionally, this report highlights areas for more research and the data needed to support additional areas of future research.

​For the international education sector, the direct impact of eliminating race-in-admissions policies may not seem clear. However, such a ban can affect education abroad, international student recruitment, and efforts to recruit and retain racially diverse staff and faculty to support international education.

​Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the practice unconstitutional, admissions experts say other states could look to Texas’s Top 10 Percent Plan as a way to diversify their student bodies.

​It's hard to know exactly how the Top 10 Percent Rule has impacted diversity at UT-Austin, but data suggests it does boost the school's Hispanic population.

​All South Carolina students who are ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class will be guaranteed admission to the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus starting with the Fall 2024 application cycle.

​The researchers found that the elimination of affirmative action has led to persistent declines in the share of underrepresented minorities among students admitted to and enrolling in public flagship universities in these states.

​Research on schools in states that have race-based admissions suggests no other single admissions policy will produce current levels of racial and ethnic diversity on its own. What admissions policies have been enacted in states where affirmative action has already been banned? And what effect have those policies had on student racial diversity?

Researchers talk to Nature about how halting race-conscious admissions will affect STEM employment, university applications, and more.

​Chief diversity officers are falling behind in the hiring job market. Some chief diversity officers stated that their jobs are facing further challenges after the Supreme Court ended affirmative action. This falling demand adds further doubt to the future of the DEI landscape.