Through Jeroslyn JoVonn
October 25, 2025
There has been an increase in Asian American enrollment.
Harvard’s Class of 2029 admissions show a decrease in Black and Hispanic students and an increase in Asian American enrollment.
Admission details issued on Oct. 23, Harvard’s Class of 2029 is revealed to be 11.5% Black students, 11% Hispanic students, and 41% Asian American students, compared to 14% Black and 16% Hispanic students, The Hill reports. Asian American students have increased from 37%.
The number of Black students at Harvard has steadily declined since the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action in college admissions. Before the decision, black students represented 18% of Harvard’s student population.
Spanish registrations initially increased after the ruling, but then declined.
Not Harvard reveal the percentage of freshmen who identify as white or report multiple racial backgrounds. Eight percent of students chose not to report their race.
The slight decline in the number of black and Hispanic students at Harvard follows similar trends at fellow Ivy Leaguers Yale and Princeton. Princeton’s black freshman population fell to its lowest share since 1968. The long-awaited data, usually released earlier this year, arrived for the first time this fall, in line with the university’s federal reporting requirements.
The school has been under intense scrutiny since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which overturned a 45-year precedent on affirmative action. Critics of affirmative action, such as President Donald Trump, have kept a close eye on the racial makeup of the student population. At the same time, the university risks backlash from its own students if enrollment of underrepresented minorities declines.
Harvard remains under scrutiny from Trump, who has used his second term to try to cut billions in funding and block international student enrollment at the university. Both actions were ruled illegal by the courts. The share of international students has fallen slightly, from 16% to 15%.
The pressure on the university appears to be taking its toll, as Harvard has implemented a hiring freeze and the Ph.D. recordings. In its 2025 budget report, the university posted an operating loss of $113 million, its first budget deficit since 2020.
RELATED CONTENT: Harvard University kills minority recruitment amid race admissions targets
#Harvard #declining #enrollment #black #Hispanic #students