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UW-Madison will not have to change its affirmative action policies after the Supreme Court last week rejected a challenge to the use of race in college admissions, officials said.

The Supreme Court's decision in Fisher v. Texas could have resulted in major changes to how colleges across the country factor race and ethnicity into their admission decisions, had the court struck down the University of Texas affirmative action policy at issue in the case.

But in a 4-3 ruling on Thursday, the justices upheld the policy, delivering a win to proponents of affirmative action.

UW-Madison officials said in a statement that their analysis of the decision found that the university's admissions practices "are consistent with the court's ruling."

UW-Madison considers the race of applicants as one factor in a "holistic" admissions process that also includes their scores on standardized tests, written statements, extracurricular activities and other categories, officials say. Academics are given the greatest weight in that process, and students are not accepted solely because of their race.