Oklahoma colleges, universities prepare for changes following affirmative action ban

“OSU does not take race or any of the other prohibited categories into account for admissions purposes,” said OSU spokesman Gary Shutt. “We do follow federal affirmative action requirements in employment actions as specifically permitted under the constitutional amendment.”

OSU students are eligible for several scholarships based on race and gender, including some that are funded by American Indian tribes and designated for members of those tribes, he said. Most of those scholarships are administered by the OSU Foundation, which isn't a state agency, he said.

The practice of using race as an admissions factor has invited criticism at public schools across the country including the University of Texas, which argued a case involving affirmative action this year before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case was brought by Abigail Noel Fisher, a Texas woman who claimed she was denied admission into the University of Texas because she is white.

A decision in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin is expected in July.