Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard University (2023)
Written by Seher Chaturvedi
This was a Supreme Court case decision, decided on June 29, 2023, by a 6-3 vote. The court ruled that the admission policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which considered applicants' race to promote diversity, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision was widely seen as effectively ending race-based affirmative action in US college and university admissions. The decision represents a significant change from prior law and requires a new mindset among higher education with respect to the use of race when making admissions decisions.
Case Background
Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a nonprofit, sued Harvard and UNC, alleging that their consideration of race in admissions was discriminatory.
SFFA argued that the Supreme Court’s decision in Grutter v. Bollinger was wrongly decided and should be overturned (the case allowed the University of Michigan Law School to consider race in their admissions policy).
Harvard and UNC countered that they did not discriminate in their admissions, and the use of limited race consciousness in admissions was consistent with decades of Supreme Court precedent.
Key Legal Rulings
The court held that Harvard and UNC’s admission policies violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Court concluded that the admissions processes “lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points. We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today.”
What the Court Still Allows
The decision bars treating race itself as a positive or negative factor in admission decisions or designing processes to achieve particular racial balances.
The Court states that applicants are permitted to mention race and how it has shaped their life; schools may also acknowledge these stories—so long as they do not reintroduce race as a standalone plus factor.
The student must be treated based on their experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.
Effects on Universities
Selective colleges had to change their admissions system so that race is not used directly or indirectly as a factor.
Many are turning to more approaches, such as focusing on family income, neighborhood, school attended, and other signs of disadvantage, to keep or increase diversity without using race.
Broader Implications
The decision effectively ends traditional affirmative action in U.S. college admissions and makes it harder for institutions to design policies that explicitly consider race.
Critics say that it will likely reduce the number of underrepresented minority students at elite schools and weaken efforts to address ongoing racial inequalities.
The ruling may influence lawsuits or policies concerning workplace diversity, corporate DEI programs, and scholarships linked to race and ethnicity.
Works Cited
“U.S. Supreme Court Issues Landmark SFFA College Affirmative Action Decision.” McGuireWoods, 13 June 2025, www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2023/6/us-supreme-court-landmark-college-affirmative-action-decision-sffa/. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
“U.S. Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in Higher Education: An Overview and Practical Next Steps for Employers: Insights: Sidley Austin LLP.” Insights | Sidley Austin LLP, 24 Nov. 2025, www.sidley.com/en/insights/newsupdates/2023/08/us-supreme-court-ends-affirmative-action-in-higher-education--an-overview-and-practical-next-steps. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
www.britannica.com/topic/Students-for-Fair-Admissions-Inc-v-President-and-Fellows-of-Harvard-College. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
