Harvard University can continue to consider race in its admissions decisions, after a federal appeals court ruled that it isn’t intentionally discriminating against Asian Americans and the policy doesn’t violate the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston on Thursday ruled that race was an integral factor in the nation’s oldest college’s mission to educate "the citizenry and citizen leaders for our society” beyond considering only perfect grades and test scores.
The two-judge panel noted that for each class of 1,600 freshman, the school receives about 35,000 applications and can’t admit all who would succeed academically. "Harvard has determined that academic excellence alone is not sufficient for admission,” the panel said, but seeks applicants who are "compelling candidates on many dimensions.”