Black Enrollment is Waning at Many Elite Colleges After Affirmative Action Ban, AP Analysis Finds

November 13, 2025

Following the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on affirmative action in college admissions, an Associated Press investigation has revealed significant declines in Black student enrollment at elite universities over the past two years. Analysis of twenty selective institutions shows that nearly all experienced drops in their Black student populations, with some schools like Princeton seeing their Black freshman enrollment cut roughly in half and falling to levels not seen since the Civil Rights era. While some universities attribute the changes to natural fluctuations in applicant pools, students and advocates express concern about losing decades of progress toward campus diversity.

Who is affected

Black students at elite colleges and universities (specifically current students at Princeton, Harvard, California Institute of Technology, Bates College, Swarthmore College, Tulane University, Smith College, Yale, and Duke)
Hispanic/Latino students at various elite institutions
Individual students mentioned: Christopher Quire (Princeton sophomore), Kennedy Beal (Princeton junior)
Black Student Union organizations on campuses
Asian American students (whose enrollment patterns have been mixed)
Students for Fair Admissions (conservative organization)
College admissions offices at selective institutions

What action is being taken

The Trump administration is ordering schools to divulge vast troves of admissions data each year
The Trump administration is conducting a campaign to police colleges for potential use of "racial proxies" in admissions
Students for Fair Admissions threatened to sue Princeton, Yale, and Duke universities over decreased Asian American enrollment
The Associated Press is conducting analysis and requesting enrollment data from selective colleges
Colleges are delaying release of enrollment figures amid federal scrutiny

Why it matters

This matters because elite colleges serve as gateways to the upper echelons of American life and are critical stepping stones for social mobility. The dramatic decline in Black enrollment threatens to reverse decades of progress toward campus diversity and equal access to opportunities that these prestigious institutions provide. With Black students representing only 2% of freshman classes at some schools despite comprising 14% of national high school graduates, the disparity raises fundamental questions about educational equity and who gets access to the pathways that lead to positions of power and influence in American society. The trend also reflects the real-world consequences of the Supreme Court's affirmative action ban and could reshape the demographic makeup of future American leadership.

What's next

President Trump's order requires schools to divulge vast troves of admissions data each year on an ongoing basis
More colleges are expected to release their enrollment figures (currently delayed amid federal scrutiny)
Researcher Richard Kahlenberg suggests colleges could give greater preference to students from lower-income families and eliminate legacy preferences as potential future actions
The Trump administration is expected to apply increased pressure on institutions regarding their enrollment numbers

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