MIT Joins 15 Universities In Filing Amicus Brief In Harvard Admissions Lawsuit

On July 30, 2018, MIT, together with 15 other universities, filed an amicus brief with the federal district court in Boston in the lawsuit Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff challenges Harvard’s use of race as a factor in its admissions process, claiming it is discriminatory against Asian Americans.  The “friend of the court” brief explains the universities’ support of current U.S. Supreme Court law allowing the use of race as one among many factors in making undergraduate admissions decisions.

In the brief, the schools reaffirm that diversity is integral to their academic missions and that student-body diversity benefits all students. “Diversity encourages students to question their own assumptions, to test received truths, and to appreciate the complexity of the modern world,” the brief states. “This larger understanding prepares [our] graduates to pursue innovation in every field of discovery, to be active and engaged citizens equipped to wrestle with the great questions of the day, and to expand humanity’s learning and accomplishment.”

In addition to arguing that diversity is essential to advancing their academic missions, MIT and the other universities explain that they follow federal law in making admissions decisions, using an individual, holistic review process with race as just one of many factors. The brief further explains that race neutral alternatives to the legally permitted holistic race conscious review have not worked as an alternative for obtaining a diverse class and do not permit a personalized review of applicants; and, that courts should defer to a private academic institution’s constitutional right to make educational judgments, such as admissions decisions.

MIT’s brief was filed jointly with Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Yale University. The full brief is available here.