On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in a 6-3 decision. The decision to ban affirmative action, which has been in place for over 40 years, has sparked various controversies around the world.
Before we delve into why banning affirmative action has caused a debate and why it is significant for high school students, we have to understand what affirmative action is. Affirmative action states that special consideration should be given to racial minorities, taking into account that there are unequal education opportunities in the U.S.
Following the review of the cases Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, the Supreme Court has ruled that affirmative action is unconstitutional. The Court stated that Harvard College has discriminated against Asian American students while the University of North Carolina has discriminated against Asian American and white students with the implementation of admissions policies that follow affirmative action.
Many experts have claimed that Asian Americans will benefit the most from the Supreme Court’s decision, while others have remained skeptical. For international students, it is still too early to know whether the ban on affirmative action will help or not. Multiple news sources such as the New York Times and Forbes have claimed that enrollment in historically Black colleges and universities will rise. Moreover, students have started to indicate their ethnicity and race through their essays as it is the only way to show their identity after the Supreme Court’s ruling has made college admissions race-blind.
About half a year has passed since affirmative action has been overturned. The effects of the court’s decision remain obscure. Who’s going to benefit? Who’s not going to benefit? Most importantly, what’s going to change? Hopefully, these questions will be answered soon so that students all over the world may grow accustomed to the change in college admissions.
