Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf
Page Number: 224.0

16  STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC. v. PRESIDENT 

AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE 
JACKSON, J., dissenting 

must  submit  standardized  test  scores  and  other  conven-
tional  information.76    But  applicants  are  not  required  to
submit  demographic  information  like  gender  and  race.77 
UNC  considers  whatever  information  each  applicant  sub-
mits using a nonexhaustive list of 40 criteria grouped into 
eight  categories:  “academic  performance,  academic  pro-
gram,  standardized  testing,  extracurricular  activity,  spe-
cial talent, essay criteria, background, and personal crite-
ria.”78 

Drawing on those 40 criteria, a UNC staff member eval-
uating  John  and  James  would  consider,  with  respect  to 
each, his “engagement outside the classroom; persistence of 
commitment; demonstrated capacity for leadership; contri-
butions  to  family,  school,  and  community;  work  history;
[and  his]  unique  or  unusual  interests.”79    Relevant,  too, 
would be his “relative advantage or disadvantage, as indi-
cated  by  family  income  level,  education  history  of  family 
members, impact of parents/guardians in the home, or for-
mal education environment; experience of growing up in ru-
ral or center-city locations; [and his] status as child or step-
child of Carolina alumni.”80  The list goes on.  The process
is holistic, through and through.

So  where  does  race  come  in?  According  to  UNC’s 
admissions-policy  document,  reviewers  may  also  consider 
“the race or ethnicity of any student” (if that information is 
provided) in light of UNC’s interest in diversity.81  And, yes, 
“the race or ethnicity of any student may—or may not—re-
ceive a ‘plus’ in the evaluation process depending on the in-

—————— 

76 567 F. Supp. 3d 580, 595 (MDNC 2021). 
77 Id.,  at  596;  1  App.  348;  Decl.  of  J.  Rosenberg  in  No.  1:14–cv–954

(MDNC, Jan. 18, 2019), ECF Doc. 154–7, ¶10 (Rosenberg). 

78 1 App. 350; see also 3 id., at 1414–1415. 
79 Id., at 1414. 
80 Id., at 1415. 
81 Id., at 1416; see also 2 id., at 706; Rosenberg ¶22.