Harvard reports slight decline in Black students in wake of affirmative action ruling
There was a slight decline in the numbers of Black students in Harvard University's freshman class, which follows a Supreme Court ruling which struck down affirmative action in higher education
BOSTON (AP) — There was a slight decline in the number of Black students in Harvard University’s freshman class, the first admitted since a Supreme Court ruling struck down affirmative action in higher education.
The impact of the ruling is still coming into focus at selective universities around the country, with some reporting significant swings in the numbers of students of color and others seeing little change.
In a case sparked by challenges to admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the court’s conservative majority last year barred colleges from considering race, leaving many searching for new ways to promote student diversity.
Data released Wednesday by Harvard showed 14% of incoming students identified as Black, a drop of 4% from the class before it. Latino students made up 16% of the freshman class, an increase of 2% while Asian-American numbers remained the same at 37%.
