Largest Private Scholarship Provider Responds to Landmark Decision on Affirmative Action

MINNEAPOLIS, June 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - In response to the United States Supreme Court's historic ruling curtailing race-conscious admissions decisions in higher education, Mike Nylund, president and CEO of Scholarship America, released the following statement.  

"As colleges and universities evaluate and potentially redesign their admissions processes based on this week's SCOTUS decision, private-sector scholarships will play a larger role in closing racial gaps in postsecondary education enrollment and completion.   

"Research from Scholarship America and other industry leaders indicates scholarships have the biggest impact on graduation rates for Black, Indigenous, and Latino/a students with high financial need — but that today, these students are the least likely to benefit from private scholarships. In an effort to continue supporting these students in the wake of the decision, Scholarship America will continue our work to get as many scholarship dollars as we can to the students facing the most need.  

"While the Court's opinion did not directly address whether processes beyond admissions would be impacted by the Court's decision, we understand that the impact of the ruling could potentially extend to prohibiting universities from considering race in awarding financial aid. As the nation's largest provider of private scholarships, however, Scholarship America remains firmly committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds have the ability to obtain a high-quality degree or credential." 

Scholarship America will continue working with our more than 1,000 partners — including over 100 companies on the Fortune 500 — to grow the role of private scholarships and create a new roadmap for directing funding to the students who need it most. To learn more, visit ScholarshipAmerica.org. 

About Scholarship America 

Scholarship America is a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate barriers to educational success so that any student can pursue their dream. Since it was founded in 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $5.1 billion to 3 million students, making it the nation's largest private scholarship provider. Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org. 

Source: Scholarship America