To the University community,

Today we are writing to follow up on a message we sent in October, as arguments were getting underway at the Supreme Court on two cases challenging the consideration of race in college admissions.

A decision in those cases is expected by the end of June, and if legal experts are correct, the Supreme Court is likely to limit, if not eliminate, the ability of colleges and universities to consider race or ethnicity as one factor among many in their individualized and comprehensive evaluations of candidates for admission.

We will continue to do everything within our legal authority to recruit a student body that is both extraordinarily talented and richly diverse across every imaginable dimension, including race. Those efforts reflect our commitment to serve the Commonwealth and beyond by making a UVA education as accessible as possible for all, including historically underrepresented students. They also extend from the principle that every student learns more, and is better prepared to succeed, when they can engage and exchange ideas with people who come from perspectives and life experiences that differ from their own. That is why many major corporate employers and the U.S. military filed briefs asking the Supreme Court to uphold the consideration of race as one of many factors in college admissions.

Once the opinion is made public, we will share more information about the University’s response. For now, we want to emphasize what we hope you already know: Every member of this community belongs and deserves to be here, and together you make this University the remarkable and vibrant community it is.

Thank you for all you contribute to the University of Virginia.

Sincerely,

James E. Ryan
President

Ian Baucom
Executive Vice President and Provost