Ohio University Suspends Race-Based Scholarships Due To Supreme Court Decision

Ohio University has announced that it will pause awarding race-based diversity scholarships, The Associated Press reports.

The school’s decision follows the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer, which struck down affirmative action in college admissions. Affirmative action policies had previously “allowed colleges and universities to consider race as a factor in admissions and scholarship decisions to promote diversity.”

“We are temporarily pausing the awarding of impacted scholarships, which represent a small but important subset of our annual awards, as we contemplate any necessary revisions,” the school said in a statement issued last week. Scholarships already awarded to current students are not affected by the review, and they will continue to get renewable scholarships if they meet the renewal criteria, according to the statement.”

According to The Associated Press, colleges and universities in the state were instructed to cease considering race in admissions decisions following the Supreme Court’s decision by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Additionally, the office said that it would not legally protect individuals who use race as a factor in admissions or scholarship decisions.

When working with scholarship donors who typically identify what kind of student they want to give money to, university officials say they are committed to working closely with them if “revisions to any gift agreements are necessary.”