{"id":72566,"date":"2024-04-23T00:48:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T04:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=72566"},"modified":"2024-04-23T00:48:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T04:48:29","slug":"are-race-conscious-scholarships-on-their-way-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/are-race-conscious-scholarships-on-their-way-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Are race-conscious scholarships on their way out?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The fate of\u00a0hundred of millions of dollars<\/a>\u00a0in scholarship money is up in the air in Ohio after seven state universities put race-conscious programs on hold to check their legality. The review comes after Dave Yost, the state\u2019s attorney general, advised administrators in a call that using race as a factor to award funds\u00a0may be unconstitutional<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yost\u2019s guidance was based on the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s June 2023 decision in\u00a0Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard<\/a>, which banned consideration of a student\u2019s race in college admissions, except\u00a0under limited conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yost\u2019s interpretation of the court\u2019s opinion should not have been a surprise. The\u00a0day after the Supreme Court\u2019s decision<\/a>, he had signaled that schools should clamp down on race-conscious programs. He warned that\u00a0\u201cdisguised\u201d race-conscious admissions policies <\/a>are still race-conscious admissions policies.<\/p>\n

Targeting racial criteria<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although Ohio did not consider race-conscious scholarships right after the Supreme Court decision came down, other states acted quickly to place such scholarships on the chopping block. Missouri\u2019s attorney general\u00a0immediately banned<\/a>\u00a0the use of race in financial aid decisions. Officials at the\u00a0universities of Kentucky and Missouri<\/a>\u00a0eliminated consideration of race in scholarships and grants.<\/p>\n

This raises a question that goes beyond Ohio: Are scholarships that use race as part of their criteria a thing of the past? The short answer is \u201cno.\u201d But based on a review of the 2023 Supreme Court decision and other precedent, such programs will have to pass a tough judicial test. Even then, race can\u2019t be the only factor.<\/p>\n

Campus leaders have some guidance on what to do. In August 2023, for example,\u00a0the federal departments of Justice and Education<\/a>\u00a0provided advice on how schools could keep a diverse student body without considering race in admissions decisions. Factors such as socioeconomic status, ZIP codes, high schools attended, academic achievements and demonstrated contributions to society could become more important in admissions decisions.<\/p>\n

But the federal agencies were silent on how the court\u2019s ruling would affect scholarships and financial aid. To figure that out, administrators may have to go back to the source: the 2023 Supreme Court decision.<\/p>\n

Diversity and the \u2018strict scrutiny\u2019 test<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When the Supreme Court reviewed the admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, it used a\u00a0strict scrutiny standard<\/a>, the highest level of legal review under the\u00a014th Amendment\u2019s equal protection clause<\/a>. To pass muster, rules or laws that affect fundamental rights must serve a \u201ccompelling state interest\u201d and be written to minimize their effect on such rights.<\/p>\n

In\u00a02003<\/a>\u00a0and again in\u00a02016<\/a>, the court ruled that a diverse student body is a compelling interest. But in 2023, Harvard and UNC weren\u2019t able to pass the strict scrutiny test. Both schools claimed their programs promoted diversity.<\/p>\n

The court ruled that the universities\u2019 race-conscious admissions programs involved racial stereotyping, lacked \u201csufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race\u201d and \u201cunavoidably employ race in a negative manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The programs violated both the equal protection clause of the Constitution and\u00a0Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964<\/a>. Title VI bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal assistance, such as student loans and Pell Grants.<\/p>\n

Some legal scholars,\u00a0not unreasonably<\/a>, say the court\u2019s decision bans the use of race in awarding scholarships, as well as in admissions. But this overlooks two important facts: The Supreme Court did not rule that diversity can never be a compelling state interest or that race can never be considered.<\/p>\n

True, the use of race in many programs receiving federal assistance is now restricted, but it has\u00a0not been completely outlawed<\/a>. Even race-conscious admissions aren\u2019t completely off the table \u2013 if programs can pass the strict scrutiny test. Consideration of a student\u2019s race might be allowed if there is \u201can exceedingly persuasive justification that is measurable and concrete enough to permit judicial review,\u201d the court said.<\/p>\n

For example, the Supreme Court OK\u2019d race-based policies at\u00a0U.S. military academies<\/a>\u00a0on the theory that a strong national defense \u2013 a compelling state interest \u2013 requires a diverse officer corps. But after the Harvard and UNC decision, even these programs will need to explore\u00a0other ways to achieve diversity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Strategies for diversity in admissions that don\u2019t take race into account, like those suggested by the departments of Education and Justice, can serve as a guide for school administrators.\u00a0MIT<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Stanford Law<\/a>\u00a0are among the programs already using criteria such as income, ZIP code and civic engagement to maintain diversity.<\/p>\n

More challenges ahead<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The use of race in scholarships and admissions is just one legal challenge race-conscious programs face. In July 2023, 13 state attorneys general \u2013 from Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia \u2013\u00a0sent a letter<\/a>\u00a0urging Fortune 100 CEOs to eliminate all such programs at their companies.<\/p>\n

Critics of these programs also questioned<\/a>\u00a0the use of race in scholarship and financial aid programs funded from outside a university, including\u00a0fellowships<\/a>\u00a0that consider race when helping underserved students.<\/p>\n

In contrast,\u00a0some campus leaders and lawyers argue<\/a>\u00a0that the court\u2019s decision should be limited to race-conscious admissions. They argue it should not include other programs where race might be used as a factor.<\/p>\n

Tips for prospective students and their parents<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students who want to improve their chances of obtaining scholarships can start by considering the list of permissible criteria for admissions decisions and follow up with their own research. Students can also take the following steps:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Stay informed:<\/strong>\u00a0Follow the news to find out whether changes in state laws or policies will affect scholarship opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Talk to financial aid administrators:<\/strong>\u00a0Connect with advisers in the school\u2019s financial aid office to learn how they interpret the Harvard\/UNC decision.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Don\u2019t rely exclusively on financial aid from the college:<\/strong>\u00a0Investigate and apply for scholarships and financial aid that are not administered by a college. The Supreme Court decision applies only to institutions that receive public funds.<\/p>\n

Author Bios: <\/strong>Jeffrey C. Sun is Distinguished University Professor of Higher Education and Law at the University of Louisville and Charles J. Russo is the Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law at the University of Dayton<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fate of\u00a0hundred of millions of dollars\u00a0in scholarship money is up in the air in Ohio after seven state universities put race-conscious programs on hold to check their legality. The review comes after Dave Yost, the state\u2019s attorney general, advised administrators in a call that using race as a factor to award funds\u00a0may be unconstitutional. […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[434921],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-72566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-race-conscious-scholarships"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAre race-conscious scholarships on their way out? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/are-race-conscious-scholarships-on-their-way-out\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are race-conscious scholarships on their way out? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The fate of\u00a0hundred of millions of dollars\u00a0in scholarship money is up in the air in Ohio after seven state universities put race-conscious programs on hold to check their legality. 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