Signatories of the letter included several organizations to which Harvard belongs, including the Association of American Colleges and the Association of American Law Schools.
The Bush administration, however, filed briefs against the University of Michigan, arguing that the Court should declare the policy unconstitutional without reversing the Bakke decision.University spokesperson Lucie McNeil said Harvard’s brief will be filed by the Feb. 18 deadline for briefs supporting the use of race as a factor in admissions decisions.
Michigan currently uses a point system to determine undergraduate admission, and awards 20 additional points to minority students.
The law school there, however, does not use a point system, but takes race and ethnicity into account in admissions descisions.
—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.