The US Military Academy at West Point is facing a lawsuit from Students for Fair Admissions, the same group that won a Supreme Court case against Harvard and UNC earlier this year, challenging the academy's race-based admissions policies. The lawsuit argues that West Point's use of race in admissions is unconstitutional and seeks to prohibit the consideration of race during the admissions process. The group claims that the academy sets benchmarks for the percentage of each class that should be filled by specific racial groups and alleges that race is a decisive factor for hundreds of applicants each year. The lawsuit contends that the use of race in admissions prevents some applicants from competing on an equal footing.
Anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions has dropped its lawsuit against Yale University challenging its race-conscious admissions policies, following the Supreme Court's ruling against such practices. Yale has agreed to make several updates to its admissions process, including clarifying that race cannot be used as a factor in admissions decisions, ensuring that no one involved in admissions has access to race data, and not considering race when calculating or awarding financial aid. The lawsuit, similar to those against Harvard and UNC, stemmed from a Trump administration challenge that accused Yale of discriminating against Asian American applicants.
The University of Virginia is the latest school to change its legacy admissions policies, following a civil rights group's federal complaint challenging the process. Multiple colleges and universities across the country have updated admissions policies, with some choosing to end preferences given to legacy students. Schools such as Wesleyan University, Virginia Tech, University of Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Amherst College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University have either ended or changed their legacy admissions policies. Legacy admissions have faced criticism for perpetuating inequality, with some schools being investigated for their continued use of legacy programs.
A study conducted by Opportunity Insights, a group of Harvard researchers, found that children from the top 1% financially are more than twice as likely to attend elite universities compared to middle-class families with similar SAT and ACT scores. The study analyzed admissions data, income tax records, and test scores from 1999 to 2015. The research revealed that legacy admissions, nonacademic credentials, and athletic recruitment contribute to this advantage, but do not affect post-university outcomes. Attending elite institutions increases students' chances of reaching the top 1% of income, attending elite graduate schools, and getting employed at prestigious firms. The study suggests that diversifying admissions policies could help address income disparity and promote social mobility.
