{"id":54788,"date":"2025-03-12T10:45:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T15:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-legal\/supreme\/supreme-court-insights\/regents-of-the-university-of-california-v-bakke-case-study.html"},"modified":"2025-03-12T10:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T15:54:14","slug":"regents-of-the-university-of-california-v-bakke-case-study","status":"publish","type":"supreme","link":"https:\/\/supreme.findlaw.com\/supreme-court-insights\/regents-of-the-university-of-california-v-bakke-case-study.html","title":{"rendered":"Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Case Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Regents of the University of California v. Bakke Case Study<\/h1>\n
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\n By Balrina Ahluwalia, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

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Regents of the University of California v. Bakke <\/i>was a landmark 1978 Supreme Court case that significantly impacted affirmative action programs in higher education. It declared the use of strict racial quotas in college admission decisions unconstitutional. For decades, the Bakke<\/i> ruling influenced admissions policies across the country and sparked ongoing debates about fairness, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke<\/i><\/a>\u00a0centered around a challenge to a medical school’s admissions policy in the 1970s.<\/p>\r\n

Case Facts<\/h2>\r\n

Allan Bakke, a white male, applied to the University of California Davis Medical School in 1973 and 1974. He had strong academic credentials, including a higher grade point average (GPA) and test scores than many other applicants.<\/p>\r\n

UC Davis Medical School rejected Bakke’s application both times.<\/p>\r\n

At the time, the school had a special\u00a0admissions program<\/a>\u00a0that reserved 16 out of the 100 entering class seats for “disadvantaged” minority students. However, it used multiple factors beyond just race, test scores, and GPAs.<\/p>\r\n

Bakke sued the school system in state court. He argued that the school admitted less qualified minority applicants over him because of its racial quota system.<\/p>\r\n

Bakke claimed that the admissions policy discriminated against him based on his race. He also contended that the program violated the\u00a0equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment<\/a>\u00a0and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<\/p>\r\n

UC Davis (the respondent) argued that its race-conscious admissions program was necessary to:<\/p>\r\n