U of M no longer considering applicants on basis of race, legacy status

U of M admissions process changes

U of M admissions process changes

The University of Minnesota says it will no longer consider applicants based on their race or whether their family members attended or work at the U. The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in college admissions last month.

It’s an update to the Twin Cities campus’ “holistic review practice” that now lists “cultural, gender, age, economic, or geographic diversity of the student body” as admissions factors. Race and “family employment or attendance” were still included in that list as recently as June 30, the day after the Supreme Court ruling, though the U of M did say it was reconsidering its policy.

In the weeks since, critics nationwide have called on academic institutions to stop legacy admissions, claiming affirmative action served as a counterbalance to a practice that mainly benefits white students who come from wealthy families.

“As part of the recent Supreme Court decision on race-conscious admissions along with our standard annual review of undergraduate admission practice, we no longer consider race and ethnicity or family attendance or employment at the University as context factors,” the U of M’s updated admissions website states.

It’s unclear what the impacts of the change could be for the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus, as data shows about 75% of those who apply for undergraduate degrees at the school are accepted.

One student who spoke with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Wednesday says they agree with doing away with favoring legacy students, they don’t agree with the rest.

“If you don’t have control as a child where you live, what school you go to, who your parents are, what community you’re in, what resources you have access to, that shouldn’t be a hinderance to you getting into college. So, I still believe affirmative action should be part of the application process,” said student Justina Cegelski.