Yale And Princeton’s Black And Latine Enrollments Stable, Asian American Dips

Black and Latine enrollment in Yale University and Princeton University’s have remained relatively stable, while the proportion of Asian American students has fallen.

This marks the first admissions cycle since the US Supreme Court banned race-based admissions in June 2023.

Steady Black and Latine/Hispanic Enrollments

According to the first-year class profile released by Yale’s admissions office, Black students account for 14% of the class of 2028 – unchanged from the class of 2027.

Yale’s class of 2028 profile also shows that Hispanic/Latine students make up 19% of the freshman class, up from 18%, giving the class of 2028 the largest share of Latine students in Yale’s history.

At Princeton University, the demographic changes are similarly subtle but noticeable. Black enrollment has shifted by less than 1%, while Hispanic/Latine enrollment remained relatively stable, falling by 1% to 10%.

Native American enrollment remains unchanged at 3%, 46% of the class identifies as white, an increase of 4 percentage points.

Asian-American Enrollment Declines

Yale and Princeton University both experienced declines in their Asian American student populations following the Supreme Court’s ruling. 

Asian American enrollments fell from 30% to 24% at Yale and 26% to 23.8% at Princeton.

Despite this decrease, Princeton’s Asian American student population remains consistent with previous years, having fluctuated between 20.5% and 26% in recent admissions cycles.

Read: MIT Sees Sharp Drop In Black And Hispanic Student Enrollment After Affirmative Action Ban

Impact of the supreme court’s affirmative action ruling

In response to the Supreme Court decision, Yale has ramped up recruitment efforts, particularly targeting first-generation college students, low-income families, and military veterans.

In an emailed statement to The Daily Princetonian regarding how the numbers managed to stay stable, University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote, “We can’t speak to the admissions processes of other institutions, either before or after the Court’s ruling.”

“At Princeton, we are adhering to the limits set by the ruling and continuing to use a holistic admission process that involves a highly individualized assessment of the applicant’s talents, achievements and his or her potential to contribute to learning at Princeton.”

This shift in enrollment patterns highlights the impact of changing admissions practices and raises questions about how elite universities will continue to navigate diversity under the new legal framework.

Feature Image Credit: Courtesy of Kahlil Greene