Harvard University has reported a significant drop in the percentage of Black students in its freshman class following a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision, which prohibited colleges from considering race in admissions. According to data released on Wednesday, the Class of 2028 is 14% Black, a sharp decline from 18% last year. Meanwhile, the proportion of Hispanic students increased slightly from 14% to 16%.
This drop follows Harvard’s role as one of the two defendants in the 2023 Supreme Court case, alongside the University of North Carolina. Both institutions argued that racial diversity enhanced the overall educational experience for students. However, the conservative-majority court ruled that factoring in race—commonly referred to as affirmative action—constituted discrimination.
