The percentage of racial minorities enrolled in selective colleges is likely to go down in the coming years, at least at first. That’s what we’ve seen in states that previously eliminated affirmative action. So, following the Supreme Court’s decision, schools that still want to have racially diverse student bodies will likely employ other strategies, including some related to wealth.

For example, since colleges can no longer legally consider what race applicants are, more schools may start considering what socio-economic class they are.

“Class-based affirmative action is essentially giving a significant weight to students who come from lower-income households,” said Bryan Cook, director of higher education policy at the Urban Institute. 

The idea is that, disproportionately, Black, Latino, and Indigenous populations tend to be lower income.

And such a policy could lead to both economic and racial diversity.

But, as Cook points out, a lot of low-income students are also white.

“[Socio-economic status] in and of itself doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to have a racially diverse group of students,” he said.

Another possible strategy: get rid of or reduce legacy admissions, which give preference to the children of alumni.

These applicants are more likely to be admitted at some highly selective colleges. Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York has filed legislation in the past that would ban the practice, and is planning to do so again.

“Legacy admissions benefit white people and benefit the wealthiest among us and keep poor people and Black people and people of color out of schools,” Bowman said.

But those wealthy people are also a source of revenue for schools. Colleges rely on them for fundraising.

And schools want to stay connected to alumni, for reasons other than the financial.

“Legacy admissions are part of a college’s desire to build an active alumni ecosystem, which is a huge benefit to any university,” said Mandee Heller Adler, who runs the company International College Counselors.

Heller points out that this kind of ecosystem can result in jobs and internships for a university’s students, expert speakers for its classrooms, and fans at it sports games.

“Legacy admits have been around for a reason,” said Cook. “Just completely eliminating them is not an easy decision for institutions to make.”

Higher education is still, at its core, a business. And these schools don’t want to alienate any of their customers.

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