Indiana's Private Colleges Are Already Compliant With Ruling, Says Association Head

Last Friday evening, a U.S. Department of Education letter sent to colleges across the nation reaffirmed the ruling of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and threatened to take federal funding from schools that still practice race-based “admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming.” The letter applies to both public and private institutions.

Dr. Dottie King, president and CEO of Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), a nonprofit association representing 29 schools, said private institutions receive federal funding through student financial aid, grants and endowments. Most of a private school’s budget relies on money from student tuition while the rest comes from endowments and fundraising.  If students cannot get federal financial aid, King said the impact would be dramatic.