UNC Sees Drop in Black Student Enrollment Post-Supreme Court Ruling

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has reported a decline in Black student enrollment following the Supreme Court's landmark decision on race-conscious college admissions. This ruling, issued approximately 15 months ago, has led to varying impacts on diversity across U.S. universities.

UNC, one of the institutions directly involved in the Supreme Court case, has seen its proportion of Black first-year and transfer students decrease from 10.5% in fall 2023 to 7.8% in fall 2024. Hispanic or Latino student enrollment also experienced a slight reduction from 10.8% to 10.1%. Conversely, the percentage of Asian or Asian American students increased marginally from 24.8% to 25.8%, while the proportion of White students remained stable at around 63.8%.

The impact of the Supreme Court's decision, which overturned decades of legal precedent, has been inconsistent across institutions. Some universities, such as MIT, have reported significant drops in diversity, while others like Yale and Princeton have maintained similar levels of Black and Latino student enrollment.

MIT's dean of admissions, Stu Schmill, noted a sharp decline in the percentage of incoming undergraduates identifying as Black, Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander, from 25% in recent years to 16% this year. Schmill attributed this partly to persistent inequities in K-12 education, particularly in STEM fields.

Other institutions have reported varying results:

• Princeton University: Maintained similar levels of Black (8.9%) and Hispanic/Latino (9%) students in its incoming class.
• Yale University: Reported no significant changes in diversity.
• University of Virginia: Saw a slight increase in Hispanic/Latino students (10%) and a small decrease in Black students (9.4%).
• Williams College: Maintained 42% of U.S. students identifying as Black, Indigenous, or people of color.
• Amherst College: Experienced a significant drop in Black or African American students from 11% to 3%.
• Tufts University: Reported a decrease in U.S. students of color from 50% to 44%.

Experts suggest that the full impact of the Supreme Court ruling may take time to manifest. Factors such as application patterns, affordability, and financial aid availability also play crucial roles in shaping class composition.

The delayed rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been cited as a potential factor affecting enrollment patterns. UNC acknowledged that FAFSA-related challenges may have impacted their applicant pool, as many students lacked timely information about their financial aid eligibility.

Universities are exploring alternative strategies to maintain diversity within legal boundaries. These include considering socioeconomic factors, enhancing financial aid packages, and focusing on other forms of diversity such as first-generation college students, veterans, and rural applicants.

As institutions navigate this new landscape, the commitment to inclusive excellence remains a priority for many. The ongoing efforts to balance legal compliance with diversity goals will likely shape admissions practices in the coming years.

"We have growing evidence that the picture is much more complicated."

This evolving situation underscores the complex interplay between legal rulings, institutional policies, and broader societal factors in shaping the demographic composition of America's higher education institutions.