Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of one of the manifestations of the so-called affirmative action phenomenon - the policy of racial preferences in the field of higher education, which is followed by a significant number of American universities and colleges. The paper examines the formation of the affirmative action practices in the 1960s, as well as the emergence of legal opposition to the spread of politics of racial preferences in subsequent decades. Particular emphasis is placed on the consideration of the main arguments of supporters and opponents of considering race as of the factors influencing admission to postsecondary institutions in the USA, as well as on consideration of the peculiarities of American public opinion on this issue. Finally, the article analyzes the change in the position of the US Supreme Court regarding affirmative actions, which led to the recognition of the policy of racial preferences in admission to American universities and colleges as a violation of the US Constitution in June 2023.