Ensuring equitable access to higher education is a critical aim of many colleges and universities. Among the challenges to realizing this goal is the 2023 US Supreme Court decision restricting the consideration of race in postsecondary admissions. The effect of this ruling on access to undergraduate education is, as yet, unknown and has been compounded by complications with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in 2024, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other external forces.
UERU is a partner in a national research-practice partnership, led by scholars at the Urban Institute, to explore new approaches to college admissions following the Supreme Court ruling. Our goals are to:
- Understand who is applying to, admitted by, and enrolling at colleges and universities.
- Learn about changes colleges and universities are making to their admissions policies and practices; and
- Evaluate the potential impact of these changes on the demographic profile of future classes.
While it will be difficult to isolate the impact of the Supreme Court decision on admissions and enrollment, understanding the combined impact of the decision and FAFSA complications on the demographics of who applies to college is important.
UERU invites its members to participate in this important project in pursuit of the Boyer 2030 Commission’s imperative on ensuring equitable access to higher education. Participating universities will receive a report that benchmarks their data to the sample as a whole, and will have first access to convenings and other events supporting leaders in advancing equity.
Read more about the project in Inside Higher Ed