Next month the Supreme Court will take up the matter of race in college admissions. But Chuck May from the MU Admissions Office says the case will have no effect on MU since race is not a factor in undergraduate admissions.
"If a student meets our admission requirements that are published, which all students and parents can see, then they are automatically admissible," May says. "We have no cap on admissions, so there is no student that would take the place of another student that is eligible for admission.”
May says if a student doesn’t meet MU’s minimum admission requirements, the application is sent to an admissions committee. The committee takes a holistic look at the strength of the student’s academic program, trends in grades, and considers whether there were any extenuating circumstances in the student’s background.
In the case of Fisher vs. the University of Texas, two white women sued the university claiming they were denied admission because of their race. Lower courts ruled against the women, but the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in October. The case could end or uphold affirmative action in admissions at public and private universities that accept federal funds.