To boost diversity after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, UNC will offer free tuition to some in-state students

• UNC said it would soon offer free tuition to in-state undergrads whose families earn less than $80,000.
• The policy change is set to begin with students who will enter the university in the fall of 2024.
• UNC announced the plan after the Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action in admissions.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Friday announced it would offer free tuition to some in-state students as part of their continued effort to boost diversity after the Supreme Court last month struck down the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz in a statement said that beginning with the incoming class in the fall of 2024, undergraduates from North Carolina whose families incomes are below $80,000 will receive free tuition.

"We will expand the university's long-standing commitment to access and affordability for North Carolina families," he said. "We want to make sure students know financial constraints should not stand in the way of their dreams."

Guskiewicz also said that UNC has hired new outreach officers to tout the tuition policy change and recruit students to attend the flagship institution.

"We want the best students to know that a UNC-Chapel Hill education is a possibility for them," he continued. "Our University's commitment to access and affordability and supporting a culture of belonging for everyone does not change with last week's ruling."

There are roughly 20,000 undergraduates enrolled at UNC. In the class of 2026, which entered the university last fall, 49% of the students were North Carolina natives, and 32% received need-based financial aid.

Guskiewicz also reiterated that UNC would fully adhere to the court's ruling.

"That means race will not be a factor in admissions decisions at the University," he said. "It also means we will comply with the Court's ruling that an applicant's lived racial experience cannot be credited as 'race for race's sake,' but instead under some circumstances may illuminate an individual's character and contributions."

In a 6-3 decision last month, the court's conservative bloc aligned against the continuation of affirmative action, arguing that the admission practices of UNC and Harvard violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.

While Republicans praised the decision, progressives largely railed against the ruling, pointing to the proliferation of legacy admissions at many elite universities, where applicants of alumni are given a boost in the admissions process.