Harvard Between Loss of Diversity and Stability - An Initial Assessment Following the Affirmative Action Decision

The gloomy forecasts seemed inevitable: Six years ago, Harvard University, amidst a fiercely contentious process, prophesied that the diversity of its student body would suffer drastically if the consideration of race in the admissions process was abolished. A year after the Supreme Court's ruling, which ended affirmative action in college admissions nationwide, the numbers for the first affected class have now arrived – and they present a more nuanced picture than expected. The proportion of black freshmen at the renowned university has dropped from 18 percent last year to 14 percent this fall. Although the decrease is less severe than predicted, it remains significant. The proportion of Asian-American students remained constant at 37 percent. However, the enrollment of Hispanic students increased from 14 to 16 percent. As in the past, Harvard did not release data on the proportion of white students, complicating conclusions, especially as the percentage of those who did not disclose their ethnicity rose from 4 to 8 percent. The demographic changes following the end of race-conscious admissions policies have crystallized in recent weeks and show that black students are the most affected. While their proportions declined sharply at some elite universities, they remained surprisingly stable at others. Harvard had been accused in the lawsuit of discriminating against Asian-American applicants by favoring other minority groups. Admissions experts noted even before the announcement of the new numbers that prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, due to their appeal, would be best positioned to maintain their black enrollments. According to this view, they function as "unicorns" – a select group of institutions that attract the best students and remain relatively unaffected by the ban on race-based admissions.