The Supreme Court struck down the use of race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill on Thursday.

The court ruled 6-3 in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and 6-2 in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself from the case involving Harvard. 

Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the majority opinion. 

“…The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,” Roberts wrote. “Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built or lessons learned, but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

The decision means colleges and universities will look to amend admissions practices that consider race as a factor to promote a diverse student body. 

Read the decision here.