Iowa Supreme Court rules U. Iowa cannot use ‘first-gen’ proxy to alter blacks-only scholarship– www.thecollegefix.com

The highest court in Iowa has ruled against the use of race in higher education financial aid programs, joining a growing number of similar court rulings following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision against the use of race in admissions.

The Iowa case arose from a gift made by Dr. Ezra Totton to the University of Iowa for black students who, like him, wish to pursue a career in chemistry.

Totton had been denied admission to the University of Tennessee in 1939 based on his skin color, and attended the University of Iowa instead. To comply with the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions ruling, in 2025 the University of Iowa attempted to change the gift’s “black student” qualification to “first generation student.”