<p>I don’t think Michigan is failing to admit qualified African American applicants. I think Michigan admits many such students annually. Unfortunately, those admitted have strong credentials (more in line with Michigan standards), and those students typically have acceptances to other elite universities. As such, the yield for admitted African American applicants with strong credentials to Michigan is probably very low. In order to attract a larger percentage of African American students, Michigan has to lower its standards and admit a large number of students who have lower academic credentials. What do you think is easier for the university to justify and defend (ethically and legally)? admitting hundreds of students who are clearly much weaker academically than the rest of Michigan admits (and of tens of thousands of highly qualified applicants who are rejected) based on race, or admitting all students based on their academic credentials? You probably do not recall this, but when Michigan used its now-notorious formula back in the 1990s and early 2000s, and admitted far more URM (most of which were not qualified), their graduation rate was so far below the University’s average that the University was accused of not providing the necessary resources for them to graduate. Honestly, Michigan is damned if it does…and damned if it doesn’t. But at least with the current approach, the University can avoid legal and ethical problems.</p>