But the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati last month said federal law does not warrant granting an extension.

“Our overriding concern is enrolling a strong incoming class, both at the undergraduate level and in our graduate and professional programs,� Sullivan said. “Additional delays may cause us to lose applicants, or make it harder for us to enroll the outstanding students we have admitted.�

BAMN has appealed the 6th Circuit Court’s ruling.

“We think this is absolutely essential,� Shanta Driver, a BAMN spokeswoman, said of reinstating the extension, adding that trying to force universities to change their rules in the middle of an admissions cycle is “ridiculous.�

The Center for Individual Rights, a group that favors immediate enforcement of Proposal 2, had gone to a state court to try and force universities to obey the new law. The center represents Eric Russell, an Auburn Hills, Mich., man seeking admission to the University of Michigan’s law school.

Cox said he also planned to intervene in the state case to force immediate compliance, saying it has become clear that Michigan’s universities are capable of obeying Proposal 2.

Michigan State University spokesman Terry Denbow says MSU joined the legal challenge to Proposal 2 to help clarify its meaning, but he says officials at the East Lansing school believe they were obeying the terms of the new law.

“We have been, were at the time and are in compliance with the law,� Denbow says.

— Associated Press