The Supreme Court agrees with Indiana University officials’ opinion that the college admissions process can take race into consideration in an effort to create a more diverse educational environment.
In a 4-3 decision handed down Thursday morning, the Supreme Court affirmed the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that the University of Texas lawfully uses affirmative action to reap “the educational benefits that flow from student body diversity,” according to the opinion of the court in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
Last fall, IU and seven other universities filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in support of the University of Texas, which has been in a legal battle for seven years and appeared twice before the Supreme Court arguing the validity of its admissions process.
The university admits any student who graduates from a Texas high school in the top 10 percent of their class, and fills the rest of each freshman class based on standardized test scores, academic performance and other factors, including race.
“Had Texas lost this case ... it could have significantly hamstrung our efforts to spur admission in ways we think best for the university,” said IU spokesman Mark Land. “IU, like Texas, like a lot of institutions, uses a holistic approach to determining admissions. We all have an interest in creating a diverse class to ensure we create, to the greatest extent possible, equal opportunity for education.”
Texas resident Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas in 2008 after she wasn’t admitted to its freshman class. Fisher did not graduate in her high school’s top 10 percent, and argued that the method the university uses to round out its new admissions put her and other white students at a disadvantage compared with their peers of other races.