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After Plunge, Black Students Enroll in Harvard

September 19, 2025

Harvard Law School has seen a significant rebound in Black student enrollment for the Class of 2028, with 46 Black students admitted following a dramatic drop to just 19 students in 2024, which had been the lowest since the 1960s. This recovery comes in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to end race-conscious admissions, which caused Black student enrollment declines across multiple prestigious institutions including Harvard College, UNC, MIT, and Princeton. The enrollment rebound at Harvard Law was achieved through targeted outreach and recruitment efforts led by Black alumni and the Harvard Black Law Students Association, even as the university eliminated diversity offices and ended a minority recruitment initiative for undergraduates.

Who is affected

  • Black students applying to and attending elite higher education institutions
  • Harvard Law School's Black student community
  • Harvard Black Law Students Association
  • Black alumni of Harvard
  • Students at other prestigious institutions (Harvard College, UNC, MIT, Princeton)
  • Higher education institutions attempting to maintain diversity after the Supreme Court ruling

What action is being taken

  • Black alumni and the Harvard Black Law Students Association are conducting outreach and recruitment programs
  • Harvard is simultaneously shuttering diversity offices
  • Harvard is ending a minority recruitment initiative for undergraduates
  • A struggle continues "in classrooms and courthouses across the country" regarding access and opportunity for Black students

Why it matters

  • The Supreme Court's 2023 decision ended race-conscious admissions that had provided Black students access to selective institutions
  • The initial drop to 19 Black students at Harvard Law in 2024 represented the lowest number since 1965
  • The decline was described as a "crushing loss" that broke "something fundamental about the experience of attending this law school"
  • The ruling overturned decades of precedent affecting Black student enrollment across multiple prestigious universities
  • The current recovery at Harvard Law is described as "fragile"

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

After Plunge, Black Students Enroll in Harvard