U.S. Supreme Court affirmative action ruling would have little impact in Oklahoma, officials say

A decision in the case is expected by July. That decision could determine what role, if any, race may play in the admissions process at publicly funded colleges and universities.

The suit was brought by a Texas woman who claimed she was denied admission into the University of Texas because she is white.

Andrea Noel Fisher, a white graduate of Steven F. Foster High School in Sugar Land, Texas, challenged the state university's admissions policy after she was rejected by the school in 2008. UT guarantees admission to students in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, but Fisher's 3.59 GPA was not enough.

The university also admits a certain number of other students, for whom race, leadership experience, socioeconomic status and other factors can provide an admissions advantage.

Fisher, who had a combined SAT score of 1180 out of 1600, was rejected. Fisher, now 22, subsequently enrolled at Louisiana State University and graduated in May.

In its 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, the court ruled that universities may consider race among other admissions factors when the universities had a compelling interest in promoting diversity.

Unlike UT, Oklahoma's public colleges and universities don't use race as a factor during the admissions process. Officials say that practice prevents difficult questions and criticism regarding the way universities pick their incoming freshman classes.