US Department of Justice is a new addition to the long list of people and organization expressing their support to the admission policy of University of Texas-Austin which considers race as one of the factor while enlisting the students.

The Obama administration Monday threw its support behind the University of Texas' use of race as a standard in its admissions policies, asking the Supreme Court not to interfere with the consideration of racial preferences in college admissions.

The Justice Department, in a court brief co-signed by several other government agencies, told the high court that a diverse college population was in the university's - and the government's - best interests, reports The Associated Press.

The court brief was cosigned by lawyers from the departments of Defense, Education, Commerce, Labor and Health and Human Services.

Reportedly, a large number of Amicus briefs are being filed with the US Supreme Court in support of the university in the case Fisher vs. University of Texas Monday. The amicus briefs include those from a group of African-American students, Cato Institute, the Texas Association of Scholars and the Center for Individual Rights. As of now, a total of 17 briefs have been filed.

"We're delighted by this show of support. These amicus briefs demonstrate that this is a very important issue that will guide where America is going in the future," said university president Bill Powers as per the University website.

Last week, the university defended its admission policy arguing that its policies represent a constitutional 'holistic review' that promotes diversity. The defense was in response to a lawsuit filed by Abigail Noel Fisher, a white student from Sugar Land near Houston, who claimed that she would have been admitted to UT as an undergraduate in 2008 if she hadn't been Caucasian.

Texas admits most of its students because they rank among the top 10 percent in their high school classes. Fisher's grades did not put her in that category. For other students, Texas officials say that race is considered among many factors, including academic record, personal essays, leadership potential, extracurricular activities, and honors and awards. The officials insist that race is not used to set quotas.

"Race is not considered on its own, and it is never determinative of an applicant's admission by itself," Verrilli said. "Rather, race is one of a number of contextual factors that provide a more complete understanding of the applicant's record and experiences. That is a far cry from impermissible racial balancing."

The Supreme Court agreed in February to consider the case, setting the stage for its first ruling on affirmative action in higher education since 2003.

The Court is expected to hear oral arguments Oct. 10. Its ruling could affect university affirmative-action policies nationwide.