Waiting and Planning for a Supreme Court Defeat

On Thursday, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued rulings in three cases, colleges were watching for two cases, one on President Biden’s loan-forgiveness plan and one on affirmative action. Neither decision has landed yet. The case that is drawing the most attention from college leaders is the one on affirmative action, and they fear that the Supreme Court could abolish the practice. In terms of admissions, the decision would likely affect the top 100 or so colleges, which are very competitive in admissions and hard to get into. But if the court rules broadly, it may affect financial aid programs offered by thousands of colleges, and special recruitment programs (such as programs for Latina women in science) that many campuses offer. So what are colleges to do?