Race-based affirmative action policies are widespread in higher education. Despite the prevalence of these policies, there is little consensus on how affirmative action policies affect students either before they reach college or after they matriculate into college. This study provides new evidence on the benefits of affirmative action policies for underrepresented minority students. This study takes advantage of the fact that the Supreme Court ruling in "Grutter v. Bollinger" in 2003 reversed the 1996 elimination of race-based affirmative action in Texas public universities. By analyzing the effects of this policy change on students' secondary school attendance, college application behavior, and college graduation, the study provides new evidence on the effects of affirmative action policies on minority students' outcomes both before and after they matriculate to college.