Two years after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, elite universities are reporting significant drops in Black freshman enrollment. An analysis from the Associated Press shows a troubling trend: nearly all of the 20 selective schools studied saw their Black student numbers fall this fall compared to last year.
At Princeton, Black students now make up just 5% of the incoming class, a steep decline from 9% last year.
“If this trend continues, in three years this campus will be as Black as it was in the Civil Rights era,” said sophomore Christopher Quire. “It feels like tying our feet together and telling us to restart.”
Harvard’s numbers also dropped for the second consecutive year, down to 11.5%. Some campuses are now reporting as little as 2% Black enrollment in their freshman classes.
The rollback comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on universities to eliminate any practices it deems “racially biased,” including diversity essays and programs. Meanwhile, schools say the drop may stem from fewer Black students applying or enrolling.
Princeton junior Kennedy Beal shared her disappointment after realizing she hadn’t seen a single Black male student in over two hours on campus.
“It feels like we’re being set back in time,” she said. “But I still have faith that we will persevere.”
Despite the grim numbers, education experts say there’s still room to rebuild through economically based admissions and eliminating legacy preferences. But for now, the impact is being felt across Black campus communities nationwide.
