Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

The Court struck racial quotas in admissions but held that race may be considered as one factor among many.

Overview

Allan Bakke, rejected twice by the UC Davis medical school whose program reserved sixteen of one hundred seats for minority applicants, sued alleging discrimination. Justice Powell announced the judgment: a fixed quota violated Title VI, but universities could consider race as a plus factor in pursuit of the educational benefits of diversity, drawing on a Harvard admissions model. Four justices dissented on each side. Bakke established the diversity rationale that governed selective admissions for forty-five years, upheld in Grutter, until Students for Fair Admissions ended race-conscious admissions in 2023.