Over the past 10 years, almost 50 percent of all new faculty has been women or minority applicants, he said.

The university awards an extra 20 points to each minority applicant.

The decision took note of the practical consequences for minority applicants.

As proof, he said that over the past 10 years almost 50 percent of all new faculty members had been women or minority applicants.

This, it said, was a major reason for the higher rejection rate of minority applicants.

If the court rules minority applicants can't get extra points, those other special factors will remain.

About 37 of those jobs have been set aside for minority applicants, she said.

Still others are organized especially for women or minority applicants.

For minority applicants, the lower a family's socioeconomic position, the more likely the student was to be admitted.

Some local school officials are finding it difficult to recruit minority applicants.