When the US Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in 2023, preventing colleges from considering race as a factor in their admissions processes, many of those working in higher education across the US were blindsided, unsure how to continue their diversity efforts.

Arizona State University (ASU), however, was already used to such restrictions ¨C a ban on race-based admissions has been in place in the state since 2010. But that hasn¡¯t stopped the institution from focusing on inclusion.

Writing for Times Higher Education Campus?in 2023 ¨C shortly after the Supreme Court ruling ¨C ASU president Michael Crow said the college¡¯s student population had grown by more than 85 per cent over the past decade, with 140,000-plus students enrolled in-person or online, including a nearly 120 per cent increase in the number of Black students. This growth was achieved without explicitly targeting these groups.

Recruiting?low-income students is one of the ways in which universities can contribute towards the United Nations¡¯ Sustainable Development Goals,?in particular SDG 1 (no poverty). In the latest?91ÇÑ×Ó?Impact Rankings?¨C recently relaunched as the Sustainability Impact Ratings?¨C ASU receives top marks for?the indicator relating to targets to admit students who fall into the bottom 20 per cent of household income and it ranks among the top 50 institutions overall in the SDG 1 table. Almost a third (29 per cent) of ASU students?receive significant financial aid.?

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¡°We want to find every possible student regardless of their age, regardless of their background,¡± said Matt Lopez, deputy vice-president for Academic Enterprise Enrollment at ASU.?

In light of Arizona¡¯s laws, ASU has implemented admissions programmes that are open to all but facilitate non-traditional routes into higher education, providing more options for marginalised groups.

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One example is ASU¡¯s longstanding earned admissions programme. This allows students to take the university¡¯s modules online and stack their credits, eventually giving them access to ¡°fast-track¡± admissions into full degree programmes at the university.?

The initiative is particularly popular among working adults and those returning to education, particularly because the classes are asynchronous, so can be taken at a time that suits the learner, Lopez said.??

Aside from a registration fee, the modules are initially free, with students only paying if they pass a class and decide they want to claim the credit.

¡°It allows students who may not be admissible or have been out of school for a while a lower stakes way of proving¡­to themselves that they can do it [and] to earn their admissions to ASU,¡± Lopez continued.?

Another institution that avoids focusing on specific groups ¨C but still sees impressive outcomes when it comes to enrolling students from low-income backgrounds ¨C is South Korea¡¯s Chonnam National University, ranked 12th overall for SDG 1. Located within reach of many rural communities, almost all students?at Chonnam?(97 per cent) receive significant financial aid.?

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Unlike ASU, Chonnam¡¯s approach to inclusion is because of?culture, not laws.?Although the institution used to specifically target low-income individuals through information programmes, students ¡°tended to avoid actively participating in the programme because they were reluctant to expose their economic circumstances¡± given the perceived stigma attached, said Shin Byung-choon, the university¡¯s director of admissions.

Today, these?campaigns are instead targeted at everyone and, once accepted, low-income students receive financial aid and scholarships.?

At ASU, the college has also developed a guaranteed admissions programme for younger students ¨C an initiative that is taking off at colleges across the US but, according to Lopez, originally stemmed from the Arizonan institution.

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The initiative sees teenagers given offers to study at ASU when they start high school, years before the college admissions process typically starts.?

¡°I¡¯m giving you, essentially, a road map, and as long as you stay on this road map, you continue to be guaranteed,¡± Lopez said. ¡°We¡¯re guiding students from an earlier age through their career and we¡¯re following up with them,¡± including helping them get back on track if their grades fall, he said.?

It¡¯s a win-win idea, giving students reassurance that they can enter college, no matter their background, while driving connections with ASU from an early age. ¡°During that four-year process we are counselling them on financial literacy and financial aid options and good study habits and building their affinity [with] our campus,¡± Lopez said.

¡°This has the potential to change the trajectory of a kid who may have not thought about college when they enter ninth grade.¡±?

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helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com