The decision mostly affects highly selective public and private colleges and universities that consider race in the application process. At universities like these, populations of Black and Latino students are expected to drop while white and Asian populations rise.
However, Nevada’s four-year institutions of higher education have admission rates north of 80 percent and race is not a built-in factor in the admissions processes at Nevada universities. Instead, the University of Nevada, Reno admits students who meet certain academic benchmarks: a minimum 3.0 grade point average, a high school diploma, and completed coursework in core subject areas.
UNR does consider race in its recruitment of students, though. The university wants to become a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution. To do so, it must have a student body that is, at least, a quarter Latino.
While UNR officials said those efforts will continue, some research suggests that students of color lower their ambitions and perform less well in high school when race-conscious admissions are unavailable. A study centered on Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi before and after a reinstatement of race-conscious admissions in those states showed that when race was considered, Black and Latino high schoolers attended school more often, achieved better grades and test scores, and applied to more colleges.
Jose Davila IV is a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.
As a note of disclosure, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents owns the license to this station.
