Administration to Offer New Minority Scholarship Policy

Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander is expected to propose this week a new policy that will prohibit colleges from issuing scholarships solely on the basis of race, but would allow them to consider race as a factor in making awards, Administration officials said Monday.

The new policy, to be published as proposed regulations in the Federal Register, would allow colleges to issue scholarships to achieve “diversity” as long as both white and minority students can compete for them, officials said. Colleges can consider race “a plus factor,” if they consider other factors as well, one official said.

Although the new policy appears similar to the one proposed by the Education Department last year and rescinded in April after a public outcry, Administration officials sought to distinguish the two, describing the new policy as “substantially different” and “a significant improvement.”

But a higher education spokesman said: “I find it awfully confusing, and once again it sends a wrong message. What it’s telling minority students is, it’s a crap shoot. Basically, you’re going to be thrown in with everybody else.”

The rescinded policy also banned scholarships designated exclusively for minority scholarships, but allowed colleges to consider race as a factor. Since it was rescinded, the federal government has allowed colleges that receive federal funds to restrict scholarships to minority students, about 35,000 of whom receive such aid worth at least $138 million.

The new policy, while banning “race-exclusive” scholarships, would allow colleges to accept private funds earmarked for minority students as long as recipients of the funds competed with white applicants for financial aid awards, the officials said.