UTEP weighs in on rescinding of student diversity policy

Officials at the University of Texas at El Paso are weighing in on the White House decision to rescind policies to promote diversity on college campuses.

ABC-7 reached out to UTEP this week after the Trump administration reversed a set of Obama-era policies and urged colleges and universities to ignore race when making admission decisions.

Read more about the Trump reversal of policy using race in college admissions

UTEP officials said in a statement that it welcomes students from all backgrounds, adding, “UTEP does not consider race when making admissions decisions. The factors that affect admission include high school ranking and scores from various acceptable tests.”

University officials added, “The recent decision by the White House … does not affect UTEP’s commitment to becoming the first national research university in the U.S. with a 21st-century student demographic.”

The Obama administration had argued that a “race-neutral” process could disadvantage minority students.

The White House said the rules violate the Supreme Court’s precedent on affirmative action.