The Facts of Gratz v. Bollinger:
In 1995 Jennifer Gratz, who is white, applied for admission to the University of
Michigan. She was notified that although she was well qualified, she was less
competitive than the students who had been admitted and was not admitted. Gratz
enrolled in another school and graduated in 1999. In 1997 she filed a lawsuit
against the University of Michigan alleging that the school violated her rights
to nondiscrimination on the basis of race in violation of the equal protection
of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment. The admissions office at the
University considers a number of factors in making its decisions, including high
school grades, standardized test scores, high school quality, curriculum
strength, geography, alumni relationships and leadership. They also consider
race. The University considered African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native
Americans to be underrepresented minorities. The University would evaluate all
applicants based on several factors to come up with a GPA2 score. Applicants
with similar GPA2 scores were subject to different admissions outcomes based
upon their racial or ethnic status.
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