How Elite Colleges and Universities Responded to the Ban on Race-Sensitive Admissions

One June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme ruled in Students for Fair Admissions that race could no longer be used as a consideration in admissions decisions at U.S. colleges and universities. The ruling erased precedent that had been in place for more than a half century and had been used effectively to boost racial diversity at our most prestigious educational institutions. The evidence is clear. In 2004, only two of the nation’s highest-ranked research universities had incoming classes that were more than 10 percent Black. For the Class of 2026, there were 20 high-ranked universities hat had an entering class that was more than 10 percent Black. For the Class of 2026, 15 high-ranking universities that had entering classes that were at least 12 percent Black. Two years earlier, for the Class of 2024, there were eight. In 2004, there were none. After the Supreme Court ruling, colleges and universities that value racial diversity in their enrollments had to scramble to devise ways to bring more Blacks to campus. The current admissions cycle is the first that has to adhere to the new rules. JBHE asked enrollment management officials at high-ranking colleges and universities to share their efforts on...