- Ohio University has suspended awarding race-based diversity scholarships in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.
- Immediately after the Supreme Court’s decision, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office directed universities to stop considering race in admissions decisions.
- The university has clarified that scholarships already awarded to current students will not be affected by this suspension.
Ohio University has suspended awarding race-based diversity scholarships following last summer’s Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions.
The university, one of Ohio’s largest universities with about 20,000 undergraduate students at its main campus in Athens, announced its plans in a statement released last week.
“We are suspending the awarding of the affected scholarships, which are a small but significant portion of our annual scholarships, while we consider any necessary reviews,” the school said in a statement.
Supreme Court rejects affirmative action in ruling that considers race in college admissions decisions
Scholarships already awarded to current students will not be affected by the review and students will still be able to receive renewable scholarships if they meet the renewal criteria, the statement said.
Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Ohio University suspended awarding race-based diversity scholarships in response to last summer’s Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The day after the Supreme Court’s decision, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office notified universities that they must “immediately cease” considering race in making admissions decisions. The department also said there are no legal protections for people who use race as a factor on campus.
University loses civil rights lawsuit over racially ‘discriminatory’ scholarships
Scholarship donors have identified the kinds of students they want their money to go to, and Ohio University officials will work closely with donors to determine if “the gift agreement needs to be revised.” He said they would work together to implement the changes.
