Since the loss of Affirmative Action under the hand of the United States Supreme Court, college admissions are starting to alter how people are being accepted to their institutions.

In June of 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of race as a factor in college admissions, which is ending affirmative action policies. This ruling though, which is based on the equal protection of the Constitution has prohibited colleges from considering race/ethnic identity in the admissions process.

What Is Affirmative Action?

According to the UCI Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that government contractors "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin."

Soon enough, the commitment to the order was to show the government's viewpoints on equal opportunities for all qualified people regardless of their background. Later on, the in September of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which prohibited discrimination of employment through race, color, religion, etc. organizations receiving federally issued contracts and subcontracts. Later on, Johnson went on to include gender on the list, taking into account of women and minorities and many other revolutionary advances of this order.

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The Civil Rights Act/Movement

As the years continued by, following the assassination of President Kennedy, Johnson was still committed to civil rights in America, which later on in 1964 was the landmark of the Civil Rights Act. Later on, this Act soon birthed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was in charge of upholding the law against discrimination.

As this movement continued to sweep across the nation of America, many supported the idea of ending discrimination once and for all and allowing equal opportunities for everyone, from jobs to higher education.

Impacts of Affirmative Action on College Admissions

When it comes to the use of race in admissions, colleges only have a designated amount of spots for students for their race, and they would be admitted only for that sole purpose. This was deemed as unconstitutional stated in the 1978 Supreme Court case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.

In June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that considering race in the admissions process is justified by a "compelling interest." This belief holds that a diverse student body enhances the educational culture of the institution.

Colleges claim that when they review their applicants, it's a holistic process, in which they pay attention to their high school courses, essays, letters of recommendation, and extracurriculars.

According to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, it is stated that 73% of American adults say that colleges shouldn't consider race as part of the admissions process. Four years after this initial survey, the Pew Research Center decided to do another survey in 2023 and 16% remarked it was undecided.

What does the ban eventually mean for College Admissions?

Now that the ban has been in full effect since 2023, the views of conservatives and liberals everywhere have been in full effect. The battle of allowing race to be considered in higher education is growing, and will not be stopping anymore.

Before the recent ruling, nine states in the country have already banned affirmative action in public colleges and universities. The state of California for example, has voted to ban affirmative action many years ago. Other states like this include Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Washington.

While trying to ensure the diversity of a campus without the use of affirmative action, these institutions have decided to automatically admit a certain percentage of a high school's graduating class.

In a study from 2020 by Sage Journals, they decided to do a case study of UC Berkeley where it shows the collection of policies adopted by the state of California that haven't been accommodating to the representation of Hispanic, Native American, and Black students attending the University.

How will College Admissions look in 2025 due to the loss of Affirmative Action?

Due to this ban as of 2025, colleges can no longer directly consider race in admissions, but still try to take a more natural approach to this phenomenon.

A big part of this is the investigations by the US Department of Education over university DEI programs. Institutions such as Yale and UC Berkley have sprouted allegations that their DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs violate federal policies banning racial discrimination.

In terms of what this will mean for students, colleges will either modify or eliminate scholarships, summer programs, and initiatives designed for the minority.

An article from the website, Road2College breaks down what future admissions will look like now that affirmative action has been made.

A few of the key highlights from said article write to highlight the investigations into DEI programs, the University of California being sued over alleged racial bias in admissions, the shift towards class-based diversity, colleges are facing uncertainty over federal compliance, etc.

Through further research and the understanding of this sudden change in the college admissions process, it is important to remain informed and well-prepared for the next few years ahead.