Impact of Supreme Court Ruling on MIT Admissions Diversity

MIT's incoming freshman class has seen a significant drop in enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander students following the Supreme Court's decision to ban race-based admissions. The proportion of Asian American students increased, while white students' representation remained stable. MIT aims to improve diversity through better financial aid promotion and STEM education expansion.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's incoming freshman class has seen a significant decline in the enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander students. This follows the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision to ban colleges from using race as a factor in admissions, reducing these students' representation from 31% to just 16%.

The proportion of Asian American students has risen from 41% to 47%, while the percentage of white students remains unchanged. MIT administrators attribute these shifts to the Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action, a practice that many U.S. colleges previously used to enhance the diversity of their student bodies.

Harvard and the University of North Carolina, defendants in the Supreme Court case, had argued for the necessity of diversity in providing broad educational opportunities. The conservative-leaning Court, however, determined that race-conscious admissions policies contravened the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. MIT President Sally Kornbluth acknowledged the exemplary nature of the Class of 2028 but noted the negative impact on racial and ethnic diversity.

(With inputs from agencies.)