The impact of the 2023 Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action in higher education is just now being felt.
Although it’s too early to draw conclusions, preliminary data shows a decline in the enrollment of Black students with mixed results for Asian Americans and Hispanic students.
Inside Higher Education reports institutional data on the Class of 2028 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) exhibits a 15% decline in Black and Hispanic students compared to last year’s admits. Asian American enrollment increased seven percent.
Other top-tier universities followed suit in disclosing data from the first class of students since the ruling.
14% of the incoming first years identify as African American or Black at Harvard, one of two schools whose admission practices were challenged in court, according to CBS News. That’s a drop from 18%.
As for the Hispanic student population, the numbers went up to 16% from 14%. The university reports no change in enrollment for Asian American students who comprise 37% of the class with 1% of the group identifying as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, as per The Week’s report.
The UNC saw a similar trend with student populations of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) declining by 5%. Amherst College saw a 4% decrease in Hispanic student enrollment, along with eight points fewer Black students this year.
Inside Higher Education reports that education policy experts note that the enrollment data lacks some context and further research needs to be done before directly linking the decline to the court ruling.
Affirmative action was stripped as a result of the Students for Fair Admissions accusing Harvard and UNC for discriminating against Asian American applicants while favoring other minority applicants. Prior to the ruling, race was one of multiple factors that admission officers considered, in an attempt to boost campus diversity and expand educational equity to marginalized groups.
In the divisive debate on the issue of affirmative action, supporters say opponents often push a misguided narrative that it harms Asian American students. OiYan Poon, a professor at Colorado State University believes this framing creates a racial wedge between Asian American communities and other minorities, particularly Black and Latinx communities, according to NPR.
Affirmative action policies are not a threat to the Asian American community according to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), who reported in 2018 that Asian Americans have been direct beneficiaries of various affirmative action programs.
The article also pointed toward universities reserving spots for legacy students, special admissions, or college athletes.
Affirmative action seems to be a way to address the disparities between ethnic groups within the Asian American community. According to the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC), only 14% of Laotian, 17% Cambodian, and 12% of Hmong Americans aged 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to over 50% of Indian Americans and 40% Chinese Americans.
Research from the Century Foundation shows that racially diverse educational environments enhance critical thinking and foster cross-cultural skills, benefiting all students.
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