Thursday's landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to stop colleges from using race as a consideration in the admissions process will change the way many universities go about admitting new students to their campuses.
In Texas, many universities stopped the practice years ago stemming from a 1996 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that prohibited the use of using race in admissions.
In 2003, the decision was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Many universities left it as is, but the University of Texas at Austin resumed using affirmative action.
UT Austin posted a statement to Twitter regarding Thursday's decision saying in part, "The University has lawfully been considering race among many factors as part of its comprehensive and holistic admissions process. UT will make the necessary adjustments to comply with the most recent changes to the law and remains committed to offering an exceptional education to students from all backgrounds and preparing our students to succeed and change the world."
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NBC 5 reached out to schools across North Texas, including the University of North Texas Systems, the University of Texas at Arlington, and the University of Texas at Dallas. All said they do not use race in the admissions process.
Southern Methodist University, which is a private school, however, does.
"Despite the implications this ruling may have on policies and practices at SMU and every other college campus in America, we will continue to be a welcoming and supportive community," read a portion of SMU's statement to NBC 5. "We will determine how the specifics of the high court’s ruling will affect the consideration of race in our enrollment efforts. We will meet this challenge while continuing to build a community that mirrors our global society – a campus where every Mustang is valued and feels a sense of belonging."
