Different Approaches to Affirmative Action in Admissions: A Global Perspective on Country Practices

The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday to restrict racial considerations in affirmative action programs for university admissions could set the United States on a different trajectory from some other countries that practice their own versions of affirmative action.

Dozens of countries have some sort of system of affirmative action for higher education admissions — some that predate and others influenced by the U.S. model — forming a constellation of policies that reflect divergent political tendencies and histories of inequality. The practice has been on the rise in recent decades, including in the Western Hemisphere.