As Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action, colleges see few other ways to diversity goals
WASHINGTON — As an alternative to affirmative action, colleges from California to Florida already have tried a range of strategies to achieve the diversity they say is essential to their campuses. Many have given greater preference to low-income families. Others started admitting top students from every community in their state.
But years of experimentation — often prompted by state-level bans on considering race in admissions — left no clear solution. In states requiring race-neutral policies, many colleges saw enrollment drops among Black and Hispanic students, especially at selective colleges that historically have been mostly white.
Now that the Supreme Court has struck down the consideration of race in college admissions, schools nationwide will face the same test. Some have warned the development could erase decades of progress on campus diversity.
At Amherst College, officials had estimated going entirely race-neutral would reduce Black, Hispanic and Indigenous populations by half.
“We fully expect it would be a significant decrease in our population,” said Matthew McGann, Amherst's director of admission, earlier this year.
A portion of this story is shared with you as a digital media exclusive. To read the full story and support our local, independent newsroom, please subscribe at butlereagle.com.
