Amherst College, MIT and Washington University in St. Louis are among those that have seen their Black population decline for the incoming class of 2028.
Dip in Black Enrollment After Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action
There has been a dip in Black enrollment at some of the nation’s top universities since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, sharply limiting public colleges and universities from considering race in admission.
Top Universities Experiencing a Drop in Black Student Enrollment
Amherst College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Washington University in St. Louis are among at least a half-dozen schools that have seen drops in Black student enrollment for the 2024 academic year.
Mount Holyoke’s Response to the Supreme Court Decision
Mount Holyoke President Danielle Holley said the court’s ban on inquiring about race in admissions demographic data meant the school had to rely on outreach programs, personal statements, and other application materials in attempts to meet their diversity goals.
Impact of the Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action Programs
“The feeling was pretty catastrophic,” Holley said of the Supreme Court’s decision. “It fundamentally changed,” the application process, she added. “That demographic information that used to be readily available for a student’s file is now masked.”
Consequences of the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ban
The high court’s ruling struck down affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard, with far-reaching consequences for other universities. The court ruled that the schools’ affirmative action programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and are therefore unlawful.
MIT and Amherst College: Significant Drops in Black Enrollment
In data released last month, MIT showed that about 5% of its incoming class of 2028 is Black, compared with a 13% average in recent years. Amherst College in Massachusetts saw a significant drop: Black students made up 11% of its class of 2027, and just 3% for the class of 2028. At Smith College in the same state, 4% of its incoming freshman class is Black, compared to 4.6% last year.
Yale and Other Colleges Maintain or Increase Black Enrollment
Some, like Yale in Connecticut, have seen steady Black enrollment, while others, like Sarah Lawrence College, have seen slight increases.
Student Reaction to the Supreme Court Ruling
Flematu Fofana, a freshman at Yale, said she cried when she learned of the court’s decision. Although she excels academically, Fofana, who is Black, worried that her high school lacked the same extracurricular activities and awards possessed by other applicants to top colleges.
Adjusting College Application Strategies After the Ruling
“Without affirmative action I felt so uncertain about how my college decision was going to go. It made me decide to change my strategy a little bit when I was applying to colleges too,” she said.
The Importance of Diversity in College Choices
“Initially I had based my school list around how much I aligned with the academics, the extracurriculars there,” said Fofana, who is from a predominantly white county in Maryland. “But after the decision, and when I started visiting schools, I started realizing how much I value diversity.”
Victory for Opponents of Race-Based Admissions Policies
The Supreme Court ruling was a victory for those who opposed race-based considerations in school admissions and a blow to top colleges that say they want to diversify predominantly white student bodies.
