quota system: Meaning and Definition of

quo'ta sys"tem

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a system, originally determined by legislation in 1921, of limiting by nationality the number of immigrants who may enter the U.S. each year.
  2. a policy of limiting the number of minority group members in a business firm, school, etc.
  3. any hiring or admissions policy requiring that a specified number or percentage of minority group members be hired or admitted.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.