After the race-based admissions ban, applications from black and Latino students increased

The preliminary findings run counter to predictions of major losses in campus diversity following last summer’s 6-3 Supreme Court ruling. Pictured: Harvard Yard, Harvard University PHOTO: MANCALA

A landmark 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision ended consideration of race in college admissions. But a year after the ruling, research shows the number of students of color applying to four-year colleges has increased.

According to Common App, the nation’s most popular college application system, colleges saw a 9-point increase in applications from black students and a 10-point increase in the number of Hispanic students applying to four-year colleges compared with last year.

The numbers came as a relief to John King Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama and now Chancellor of the State University of New York.

“I was very concerned that students would take away the message from the Supreme Court that black and Latino students were not welcome in higher education,” King said. “So I’m glad to see that applications are up. We’ll have to see what the applicant pool is at the most elite institutions in the fall.”

Final enrollment numbers are not yet available, and the high cost of college could significantly impact students’ ability to attend the school of their choice. But the preliminary findings contrast with predictions of major losses in campus diversity following a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling last summer.

As a result of the ruling, colleges said they would increase enrollment of high school students from low-income backgrounds or find innovative ways to ensure their campuses reflect the diversity of society as a whole.

“(Colleges) want to make sure they’re following the law. This is a particularly sensitive year,” said David Hawkins, director of education and policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “But they want to make sure they’re minimizing implicit bias and“other forms of prejudice.”

Some colleges and universities have stepped up their efforts to offer high school students courses to assess their readiness.

It’s the work of the National Education Equity Lab, which has seen a surge in interest from colleges since the ruling. The program has expanded to 31 states and 120 school districts.

“I think it’s important for universities to prioritize new talent in lower-income, historically marginalized communities,” said lab founder Leslie Cornfeld. “And there are tools to do that.”

The program has benefited students like Marah Rigaud, an 18-year-old daughter of Haitian immigrants who was accepted to Yale University this fall.

Rigaud has already completed rigorous college courses at select schools like Georgetown University, Arizona State University, and the University of Pennsylvania. She even completed a spring course at Harvard Law School titled “Intro to the US Legal System.”

“It taught me that nothing is off limits and that you can pursue anything,” Rigaud said. She wrote about her Haitian culture in her college essay.

“I cited the example of my church and how during mass we don’t necessarily use English, we use French or Haitian Creole,” she said.

But getting into college and paying for it are two separate challenges.

Hawkins, of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, said problems with the free application for federal financial aid for students have also “significantly complicated” the college admissions process. autumn.

Colleges including Hampshire and Emerson recently blamed federal delays in processing FAFSA forms for lower-than-expected enrollment.

According to the National College Attainment Network, only 44% of high school graduates had filed the FAFSA as of mid-June, down 12 percentage points from the same time last year.

“We’re kind of holding our breath waiting for the recruiting results,” Hawkins said.

King, a former Obama administration official, said colleges could also end the practice of giving preference to children of alumni or awarding scholarships to new athletes, particularly in sports such as lacrosse, field hockey and water polo.

Colleges often benefit from donations from alumni who are also parents, giving their children an advantage others don’t have.

“If a kid works in his parents’ grocery store night after night, he learns an incredible amount,” King said. “And I would argue that he learns more than a kid who takes private lessons and plays in a travel league.”

Since the Supreme Court decision, only a handful of colleges have ended their enrollment of “traditional” graduates, including Wesleyan University, Carleton College, Virginia Tech and the University of Pittsburgh.

Kirk Carapezza is managing editor and higher education correspondent for GBH News. This story was originally published by GBH on June 28, 2024.