The number of Black students enrolled in Harvard University's class of 2028 dropped by 4% compared with last year following a Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned colleges from considering race as a factor in admissions, the Ivy League school reported Wednesday.
The share of students who said they were Hispanic or Latino rose to 16% from 14% and enrollment of students who identify as Asian-American remained unchanged.
The share of students who didn't disclose their race or ethnicity rose to 8% from 4%.
Black and Latino enrollment at several major universities has dropped significantly since the Supreme Court in June 2023 ruled in a 6-3 decision that admissions programs used by the University of North Carolina and Harvard — the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively — violated the Constitution's equal protection clause, which bars racial discrimination by government entities. It forced higher education institutions to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
Harvard said admissions readers didn't have answers to student questions about their race and ethnicity.
"Our community is strongest when we bring together students from different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs," William Fitzsimmons, Harvard's dean of admissions and financial aid, said in a statement.