Black Freshman Enrollment at Harvard Declines for 3 Years Straight Since Affirmative Action Ban

The share of Black first-year students at Harvard University has dropped nearly 50% since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in college admissions in 2023, raising concerns about Black representation at the nation’s most prestigious universities, according to enrollment data released Oct. 27.

Black students account for 9.3% of Harvard’s incoming Class of 2030, down from 18% in 2023, according to the data. The decline marks the third consecutive year that Black representation among incoming freshmen has fallen.

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Meanwhile, Asian American students account for 43.2% of Harvard’s incoming class, up from 41% last year. Hispanic and Latino students make up 11.4%, while about 2% identify as Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.

The Harvard Crimson reported similar enrollment shifts have emerged at other Ivy League institutions. At Yale University, Black freshman representation declined from 12% last year to 10% this fall. Princeton University, however, reported an increase, with Black students accounting for 8.4% of its incoming class, compared with 5% last year.

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