Universities are asking applicants about race even after affirmative action ruling

Many universities are explicitly asking applicants to discuss their race, even after the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that colleges can still consider discussions of how race has affected applicants’ lives, “so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.”

[RELATED: SCOTUS rules against affirmative action in college admissions]

“Many universities have for too long wrongly concluded that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned, but the color of their skin,” Roberts wrote. “This Nation’s constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

Sarah Lawrence College asks applicants how the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action has challenged students from reaching their goals to obtain a college education, as Campus Reform has reported.

“Drawing upon examples from your life, a quality of your character, and/or a unique ability you possess, describe how you believe your goals for a college education might be impacted, influenced, or affected by the Court’s decision,” the liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York asks applicants to answer.

Stanford has updated its third admissions essay prompt:

“Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.” pic.twitter.com/brqNSFirCA

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) July 30, 2023

Rice University in Houston specifically asks about “racial identity.” “Rice is strengthened by its diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders and change agents across the spectrum of human endeavor,” the question begins. “What perspectives shaped by your background, experiences, upbringing, and/or racial identity inspire you to join our community of change agents at Rice?”

Rice University also asks explicitly about race: https://t.co/7tbKXqHuZ5.

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) August 2, 2023

Johns Hopkins University asks how race may have shaped who the applicant is as a person and how that determines what they will pursue at Hopkins. “Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins. This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social.”

Johns Hopkins University is straight up asking all applicants to talk about race and other identity categories in their supplemental essays: pic.twitter.com/sZya43EmT0

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) August 2, 2023

[RELATED: NAACP calls on colleges to pledge ‘Diversity No Matter What’ following SCOTUS ruling]

After the Supreme Court’s decision, Columbia University Law School said on its website that it would require all applicants to submit a 90-second “video statement,” then backtracked after the Washington Free Beacon asked for comment. A representative from the law school told the publication it had been a “misunderstanding,” and then scrubbed the language from its website.

Other colleges and universities are carefully drafting questions to ask applicants about their race without using the word race. 

The University of Richmond, for example, asks how students will contribute to the community that is not already mentioned in their application. And Dartmouth College asks, “How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?”

One of three options at the University of Richmond: pic.twitter.com/fgGnAWK5BJ

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) July 30, 2023

Stanford University asks, “Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.”

Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review, an educational services company, shared his public statement regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling with Campus Reform, saying “history will judge” if the ruling results in a fairer playing field for college applicants.

“We encourage students to distinguish themselves in their college applications—all the more important as a result of this ruling—in the best ways they can,” the statement reads. “We support colleges in their efforts—all the more challenging as a result of this ruling—to admit diverse classes of students.  Opportunity and diversity matter.”

Campus Reform continues to report on universities’ efforts to skirt the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling. More is expected.