FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, students walk near the Widener Library at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
A federal appeals court on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 has upheld a district court decision clearing Harvard University of intentional discrimination against Asian American applicants.
Both sides have been preparing for a possible review by the Supreme Court, and some legal scholars say the issue is ripe to be revisited.
In multiple decisions spanning decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that colleges can consider race as a limited factor in order to promote campus diversity.
In close calls between students, some underrepresented students may get a “tip” in their favor, school officials have said, but students’ race is never counted against them.