Black Enrollment Drops at Top Schools as Affirmative Action Axed
Early data suggests banning race as a factor in college admissions hurt Black student enrollment at selective universities, without uniform benefits for Asian Americans.
Students walk on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
Photographer: Michelle Gustafson/BloombergAfter the US Supreme Court ended affirmative action in college admissions last year, experts predicted two consequences: The number of Black students on campus at selective schools would drop, and the number of Asian American students would rise.
They were half right, at least according to early data. As schools begin to release demographic information for the first class admitted after the landmark decision, most elite universities, including Harvard University, Amherst College and the University of Virginia, are reporting lower enrollment for Black students — but only inconsistent gains for Asian Americans.