Statement regarding recent U.S. Supreme Court decision

COLUMBIA, Mo. – We are aware of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Harvard and University of North Carolina cases, which strikes down race-based admissions practices.

In addition, the Missouri Attorney General has instructed universities to “immediately cease their practice of using race-based standards to make decisions about things like admission, scholarships, programs and employment.”

At the University of Missouri System, we value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.

As allowed by prior law, a small number of our programs and scholarships have used race/ethnicity as a factor for admissions and scholarships. Those practices will be discontinued, and we will abide by the new Supreme Court ruling concerning legal standards that applies to race-based admissions and race-based scholarships. 

UM universities will honor our financial aid commitments that have already been awarded to our returning and incoming students. These awards were lawfully issued under previous Supreme Court and U.S. Department of Education interpretations.