Michigan application drops race, gender

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The University of Michigan announced Thursday that race and gender will no longer be taken into consideration during the application process.

The school said it would immediately comply with the ban on affirmative action passed Nov. 7 by voters in the state, the Ann Arbor (Mich.) News said.

School spokeswoman Julie Peterson said admissions counselors will now choose applicants using about 50 criteria, including grade point average, difficulty of high school curriculum and standardized test scores. She said race and gender would no longer be a part of that mix.

The announcement brings an end to speculation about whether the school would file a legal challenge to Proposal 2. University President Mary Sue Coleman had said in the days after the approval of the measure that the school's lawyers would be examining the legality of the proposal. The school's longstanding policy was that it needed to include race information in its admissions process to ensure a racially diverse student body.