BOSTON _ Harvard University must defend a lawsuit claiming that it discriminates against Asian-American applicants, a federal judge ruled in rejecting the college's request to dismiss the case.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs on Friday also turned aside the plaintiff's bid for a ruling in its favor. The judge said the university will defend the lawsuit by Students for Fair Admissions at a trial in Boston beginning Oct. 15.
The school is accused of discriminating against Asian-American applicants by using a subjective personal rating system of candidates. Harvard denies the allegation, saying its consideration of race is "one factor among many" and permissible under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
Harvard admitted 4.59 percent of the applicants to its class of 2022. Women represented 50.1 percent of those accepted; African-Americans 15.5 percent; Latinos 12.2 percent; and Native Americans 2 percent, according to the Harvard Crimson. Asian-Americans made up a record 22.7 percent of the class.
