Sep 6, 2024 Story by: Editor
Data for the University of North Carolina’s (UNC) incoming class this fall—the first since the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate race-conscious admissions—reveals a drop in the proportion of Black and Hispanic students compared to last year. The reasons for this decline are still uncertain, with possible factors including the court ruling and delays in financial aid.
For fall 2023, Black students constituted 10.5% of the first-year class at UNC. This year, that number has fallen to 7.8%. Similarly, the percentage of Hispanic or Latino students decreased from 10.8% last year to 10.1%. In contrast, the percentage of white students remained stable, rising marginally from 63.7% to 63.8%, while Asian and Asian American students increased from 24.8% to 25.8%. These racial and ethnic categories are self-reported by students, and individuals can select more than one identity.
“We have some change in demographics from last year, although it’s really too soon to know if that’s a pattern or one-year change,” said Vice Provost for Enrollment, Rachelle Feldman, during a press conference on September 5.
This year marks the first class admitted after the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case brought by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard College and UNC, which led many universities to alter their admissions practices. Experts anticipated that the number of students of color would drop nationwide. For example, MIT saw a 15% decrease in Black and Hispanic students this year, while Washington University in St. Louis experienced a 6 percentage point decline in students of color.
Some institutions, however, saw smaller decreases. The University of Virginia reported a slight drop in Black and Asian American students but saw an increase in Hispanic students. Yale University, meanwhile, maintained its percentage of Black and Native American students, though the proportion of Asian American students fell by 6%, while white students increased by 4%.
“It is too soon to see trends with just one year of data,” Feldman noted in a statement. “We are committed to following the new law. We are also committed to making sure students in all 100 counties from every population in our growing state feel encouraged to apply, have confidence in our affordability, and know this is a place they feel welcome and can succeed.”
While the court ruling is believed to be a key factor, other factors like the technical issues with the U.S. Education Department’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) could have contributed to the decline. These delays may have forced some students of color to choose more affordable schools. A survey conducted by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities found that 18% of institutions said FAFSA problems reduced the racial diversity of their incoming classes.
Chancellor Lee Roberts commented, “It’s going to be difficult this year to pull apart the impact of the Supreme Court decision from the impact of the botched FAFSA rollout.” He acknowledged the uncertainty over which students were affected by FAFSA issues, making it hard to isolate the court ruling’s full impact.
In response to the ruling, several universities, including UNC, expanded financial aid programs to maintain racial diversity without violating the court’s ruling. Former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced free tuition for in-state students whose families earn less than $80,000 annually, alongside outreach efforts to under-resourced counties. Similarly, Duke University and Yale have also increased efforts to recruit low-income and underrepresented students.
This year, UNC welcomed 4,641 first-year students and 983 transfer students, setting a record of 73,192 applicants—a 15% increase from 2023 and a 32% rise over the past five years. Source: Carolina Alumni Review
