Black Student Enrollment Shrinks at Selective Institutions

Of the 20 institutions analyzed by the AP, Harvard University saw the second-largest drop in the percentage of Black freshmen between 2023 and 2025.

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Two years after the Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in college admissions, Black student enrollment at highly selective institutions is backsliding. This fall, some colleges reported shrinking Black populations, which in some cases now comprise less than 2 percent of the student body, the Associated Press reported .

The AP analyzed enrollment data from 20 selective colleges and universities, including Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Harvard, Princeton, Tulane and Yale Universities. Of the 20, only one, Smith College, enrolled a larger percentage of Black first-years this fall (6.8 percen