Contact: Anthony P. de Bruyn , (512) 499-4363

Date: August 7, 2003

UT System News Release

Revision of Admissions and Financial Aid Policies Authorized by Board of Regents

SAN ANTONIO - Campuses of The University of Texas System were given authority today to consider the revision of their admissions and financial aid policies in accordance with two recent affirmative action decisions of the Supreme Court.

Each campus in the System will be able to adopt policies that consider race and ethnicity only if the campus finds "after serious and good-faith consideration" that race-neutral alternatives are inadequate, according to guidelines approved by the Board of Regents.

In addition, race and ethnicity can only be considered as part of "individualized and holistic review" of admissions and financial aid applications, and those factors would be considered "among a broad array of qualifications and characteristics."

Revised policies would have to be approved by the U.T. System's general counsel and either the executive vice chancellor for academic affairs or the executive vice chancellor for health affairs. Each campus policy must also have a provision for periodic review. The regents' guidelines must be reviewed within five years.

The guidelines are designed to comply with the Supreme Court's decisions in two affirmative action cases arising from the University of Michigan - Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. The cases were decided in June.

Any revised admissions and financial aid policies under the regents' new guidelines are expected to apply for fall 2004 at the earliest.

Motion from the Executive Session

Other U.T. System news on affirmative action

Other news and presentations from the Board meeting