Because colleges are not promoting the changes, it is unknown how many have changed their policies. Some that have include Southern Illinois University, State University of New York, Pepperdine University, Washington University in St. Louis, and St. Louis University.

"They're all trying to minimize their legal exposure," Susan Sturm, a law professor at Columbia University, said about colleges and universities. "The question is how are they doing that, and are they doing that in a way that's going to shut down any effort or any successful effort to diversify the student body?"

The colleges are making changes as a results of two 2003 Supreme Court cases on using race in admissions at the University of Michigan which left the law unclear. Grutter v. Bollinger upheld the use of race in admissions at law school. In Gratz v. Bollinger, race used in undergraduate admissions was found to be unlawful.

"Our concern is that the law be followed and that nobody be denied participation in a program on account of skin color or what country their ancestors came from," said Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity. But Theodore M. Shaw, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., says that protecting scholarships and other programs for minorities was "at the top of our agenda."

Some schools made changes immediately, like Princeton University, which closed a seven-week program for minority high school juniors. The program was restarted and opened to all students. Williams College opened a graduate fellowship and a pre-freshman program to all races.

Money is the biggest issue. Colleges may need more money to open programs to all students but at the same time preserve diversity.

More money would make it possible, said Peter D. Salins, provost of the SUNY system, to offer more fellowships and help offset any potential adverse effects on minority students.