Spotlight for Career Services Professionals
Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
October 10, 2012 

On October 10, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that challenges the constitutionality of a university’s policies to consider race when selecting students for admission.

In Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, Abigail Fisher, a white female from Texas, filed a lawsuit in 2008 alleging the University of Texas at Austin denied her admission because of her race.

Fisher fell outside of Texas’ "Top 10 Percent" rule, which automatically grants admission to schools in the University of Texas system to any student finishing in the top 10 percent of his or her high school class. This law was adopted in 1996 and is intended to increase minority enrollment.

After accepting student applicants from the top 10 percent of their high school classes, the remaining slots are filled through an application process that considers the applicant’s race as a factor in the admissions decision.