Harvard University sees drop in new Black students after Supreme Court ruling
HOUSTON, US (AA) – The number of Black students admitted to Harvard University has dropped, enrolment statistics released Wednesday showed.
The Harvard freshman class is the first to enroll after the US Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in colleges and universities.
The data released by Harvard in the state of Massachusetts showed that 14% of incoming freshmen identify as Black, a 4% decrease from last year.
However, the number of Latino students rose 2% to account for 16% of the freshman class.
Most of this year’s incoming students were Asian Americans, which remained steady at 37%.
“We have worked very hard for many decades to ensure that students from every background come to Harvard and make a difference to their fellow classmates, the nation, and the world,” said Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William Fitzsimmons in a statement.
“We will continue to fulfill our mission, even as we continue to follow the law with great care,” he added.
The Supreme Court struck down in 2023 race-based admissions policies in a case centered around Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The ruling has forced universities nationwide to reconsider their approaches to ensuring campus diversity.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reported a much steeper decline in new Black students, with the number of Black incoming freshmen plummeting from 15% to 5%.
Amherst College also saw a big drop in Black student enrollment, which fell from 11% to 3%.
Tufts University’s decline in Black freshmen resembled Harvard’s drop, with Black students making up 4.7% of the incoming class, a drop of about 7.3%.
Other institutions, such as the University of North Carolina, reported a noticeable decrease in Black, Hispanic and Native American students.
But Ivy League universities Yale and Princeton reported only marginal changes in the diversity of their student body.
The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard said that drops in the numbers of students of color can dramatically affect the campus environment.
“Harvard must address why it fell short, especially compared to other colleges,” said Jeannie Park, the organization’s co-founder, in a statement.
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