The Bakke decision refers to a landmark 1978 case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, in which the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of affirmative action policies in college admissions. The case centered on Allan Bakke, a white applicant who was denied admission to the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, while less qualified minority applicants were accepted under the school's affirmative action program. In a complex decision, the Court held that while race could be considered a factor in admissions decisions, strict racial quotas were unconstitutional. The Court also held that affirmative action programs were permissible to achieve the benefits of diversity but that such programs could not use race as the sole determining factor. The decision was significant in setting legal limits on affirmative action policies and has shaped debates over the role of race and diversity in college admissions and employment practices in the United States.