The percent of Black and Hispanic students in Harvard’s first-year class dropped this fall while that of Asian American students increased, according to figures released on Thursday. It was more evidence that a 2023 Supreme Court ban on affirmative action is having a significant effect on racial diversity at the nation’s elite schools.
Harvard College said that 11.5 percent of its first-year students identify as Black this fall, down from 14 percent last year and 18 percent in 2023, before the Supreme Court ban took effect. While the decline is not as sharp as some experts had predicted, it reverses a trend toward increased racial diversity that had begun in the 1960s.
The numbers, released by Harvard College, showed an even sharper drop this year for Hispanic students — to 11 percent of this year’s first-year class from 16 percent last year. The percentage of Hispanic students had seen an increase last year from 2023, however.
Harvard did not release figures for white students.
The racial breakdown of students at Harvard and other schools has been closely watched because of the role these schools play in providing access to power and influence in American society. In recent months, the Trump administration has also sought to force universities to report expanded admissions data that could be used to prove whether they are giving preferential treatment to applicants based on race.