Sunset light falls on the Carnegie Mellon University campus on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, as seen from Oakland. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
The court’s ruling that race can no longer be a factor in admissions decisions could be “devastating” to efforts to diversify campuses, according to some observers.
Pittsburgh universities, both public and private, can no longer consider race in their admissions decisions after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday deemed the practice unconstitutional at two of the nation’s universities.
For more than 40 years, the court has said that universities can weigh an applicant’s race, among other factors, to create a diverse campus that colleges say benefits all students. At least three major local universities – the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University – have said they consider race in their application processes. CMU goes even further, stating that it views race as an “important factor.”
Supporters assert that race-conscious admissions policies have helped universities boost their enrollment of qualified students of color, but critics argue that admissions decisions should be based solely on academic merit. More than 60% of U.S. adults disapprove of universities considering race in admissions, according to a poll from The Washington Post, but a similar percentage also support programs that increase racial diversity on campuses.
Universities nationwide have enrolled more students of color in recent decades, but gaps in access remain. In fall 2021, Black and Hispanic students made up between 9% and 14% of the student bodies at Pitt, CMU and Duquesne.
Now, these institutions will need to amend their admissions policies and potentially find new ways to diversify their campuses.
Ann Cudd, outgoing provost and senior vice chancellor at Pitt, said in a statement that the university believes “diversity, in all its forms, enhances our individual and shared success and improves the educational experience.”
“In the wake of today’s ruling, these guiding principles remain unchanged, and we are evaluating our admission practices to ensure that they continue to be inclusive, fair, and fully compliant with the law,” Cudd said.
In a statement, CMU President Farnam Jahanian reinforced the university’s commitment to expanding access to educational opportunities, adding that CMU has “confidence in our ability both to follow the law and to promote access and opportunity as essential to fostering a vibrant learning community.”
Duquesne President Ken Gormley said in a public statement that the university is “disappointed” in the decision but remains dedicated to “focusing on a range of factors, apart from race, that contribute to identifying students of all backgrounds who will succeed at Duquesne and become the next generation of leaders.”