U.S. Supreme Court Voids Race Based College Admissions Programs

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled, via a 6-3 vote, that race based admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina were unlawful.

The Texas Tribune reported that UT Austin will likely be the only Texas public university affected by the ruling by the nation’s high court. But, several Texas private universities that factor in race in their admissions policies could be affected, the Tribune added.

The majority’s decision did not outlaw race based college admissions outright, but instead made it difficult — some observers said impossible — for colleges to consider race as an admission’s criteria.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that college admissions programs can consider race merely to allow an applicant to explain how their race influenced their character in a way that would have a concrete effect on the university. But a student “must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,” Roberts wrote.

Read more about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision here.