In the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that struck down race-based affirmative action in college admissions, several prestigious universities, including Harvard, Columbia, and the University of North Carolina (UNC), have reported notable declines in Black freshman enrollment. This shift follows a decades-long debate over the role of race in admissions decisions, culminating in the Court’s decision in 2023 that declared such practices unconstitutional.
At Harvard University, Black students now make up only 14% of the freshman class, a sharp decline from 18% in the previous year. The drop has prompted concerns that the end of race-conscious admissions will lead to a less diverse student body at the nation’s most elite schools. In contrast, Latino enrollment at Harvard increased slightly, from 14% to 16%, while the proportion of Asian-American students, a group central to the lawsuit that led to the ruling, held steady at 37%.
Harvard sees a decline in Black students with the end of affirmative action #HarvardUniversity #Collegeadmissionshttps://t.co/PwViuFEeEP
— SallGood FromTheHood (@SallGudNTheHood) September 13, 2024
Columbia University experienced an even steeper drop, with Black enrollment plunging from 20% to just 12% in a single year. Meanwhile, Asian-American or Pacific Islander enrollment at Columbia surged by nine percentage points, reaching 39%. Similar trends were seen at other high-ranking institutions like MIT and Brown, which reported significant declines in Black and Hispanic student enrollment, balanced by gains in Asian representation.
The University of North Carolina, one of the defendants in the Supreme Court case, saw Black enrollment fall from nearly 11% to 8% in the incoming class, with Asian-American students making up around 26% of the freshman cohort. These shifts highlight the broader national impact of the Court’s ruling, with universities across the country grappling with how to maintain diverse student bodies without explicit consideration of race.
Harvard’s Black Student Enrollment Dips After Affirmative Action Ends
"The proportion of Black first-year students enrolled at Harvard this fall has declined to 14 percent from 18 percent last year, according to data released by the institution"https://t.co/0UkjQN2KRB
— Global Black Studies at Duke (@DukeAAAS) September 13, 2024
The ruling has stirred intense debate, with opponents arguing that it erodes hard-won progress in promoting diversity in higher education. Proponents of the decision, including the group Students for Fair Admissions, which brought the lawsuits against Harvard and UNC, contend that the ruling rectifies years of unfair practices that disproportionately harmed Asian-American applicants.
The group successfully argued that Harvard’s admissions policies penalized Asian students by assigning them lower subjective ratings on traits like leadership and likability while favoring Black and Hispanic applicants.
In response to the ruling, Harvard and other schools are adjusting their admissions criteria, placing greater emphasis on personal essays and student achievements. Harvard’s admissions office has updated its application process to allow applicants to reflect on how their experiences, rather than their race, have shaped them. This subtle shift aims to continue fostering a diverse student body within the new legal constraints.
The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a major shift in higher education policy, overturning decades of affirmative action programs designed to increase opportunities for underrepresented minority groups. Many universities are now scrambling to devise new methods for promoting diversity, particularly as Black and Hispanic enrollment numbers continue to decline. As schools adapt, it remains to be seen how they will navigate this new landscape without the use of race-based admissions criteria.
