LOS ANGELES — In California, where affirmative action in admissions has been banned in public colleges since 1996, university officials and faculty members said they have found ways to ensure their student bodies remain diverse.
Though the U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday that race cannot be a factor in admissions, sending ripples through the higher education community across the country, California could provide a model for how to foster diversity while not running afoul of the law.
Colleges and universities in California have relied on holistic reviews of applicants, considering such factors as personal essays and whether students turn educational opportunities at their high schools into academic achievement.
Some institutions have eliminated requirements for all applicants to submit standardized test scores, which tend to benefit students whose families are able to afford tutors and preparatory classes.
The move away from standardized test scores is part of a larger national trend to level the playing field for students from all walks of life.
“The consideration of race was not the conclusive solution to inequities in college admissions, but it was a necessary pathway to addressing systemic deficiencies,” said University of California President Michael V. Drake. “Without it, we must work much harder to identify and address the root causes of societal inequities that hinder diverse students in pursuing and achieving a higher education.”
California banned affirmative action in 1996 under Republican Gov. Pete Wilson during an anti-immigration wave in California that included a voter-approved law that would have denied health care, education and other services to people living in the U.S. without authorization. That law was eventually overturned in federal court.
At the public University of California, which includes more than 290,000 students across 10 campuses, administrators have adopted alternative criteria for recruiting and evaluating students from diverse…
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