Black Enrollment Falls for Third Straight Year, Asian Enrollment Rises in Harvard’s Class of 2030

The proportion of Black students enrolled in Harvard College’s Class of 2030 fell for the third consecutive year since the Supreme Court overturned race-conscious admissions, dropping to 9.3 percent of the Class of 2030, according to data released by Harvard on Tuesday.

Black enrollment fell 2.2 percentage points from 11.5 percent in the Class of 2029, continuing a decline that began with the first class admitted after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision. Black students made up 14 percent of the Class of 2028, down from 18 percent the year before.

Meanwhile, the proportion of Asian American students rose to 43.2 percent, up from 41 percent in the Class of 2029 and 37 percent in the Class of 2028. Hispanic or Latino enrollment stayed largely unchanged at 11.4 percent, following a five percentage point decline last year.

Nearly 2 percent of freshmen identified as Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Nine percent of students did not report their race or ethnicity.

The latest figures mark the third admissions cycle since the Supreme Court ruled against Harvard in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard, ending decades of race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The ruling followed a years-long legal battle over whether Harvard discriminated against Asian American applicants in its admissions process.

Since the decision, the College’s admissions process has continued to face close scrutiny. The Trump administration sued Harvard in February over its refusal to hand over applicant-level admissions records, though it does not accuse Harvard of racial discrimination.

Harvard has also changed how it reports racial demographics. Beginning with the Class of 2028, the College began calculating racial percentages using only students who reported their race, rather than the entire freshman class — a methodological change that has made it difficult to determine how demographics are changing.

The decline in Black enrollment comes as other Ivy League universities have reported mixed changes in their incoming classes. At Yale, the share of African American freshmen fell from 12 percent last year to 10 percent this fall, its lowest level in a decade. Princeton, meanwhile, reported that Black students make up 8.4 percent of its Class of 2030, rebounding from 5 percent last year.

Harvard’s latest admissions cycle also saw a sharp rebound in applications, with 55,104 students applying to the Class of 2030 — a 15 percent increase from last year’s 47,893 applicants and the largest applicant pool in years when Harvard has required standardized exam scores.

The increase reversed an 11 percent decline in applications last year, when Harvard reinstated its requirement that applicants submit SAT or ACT scores after five admissions cycles of test-optional policies.

The College did not release the total number of students admitted this year, but its reported enrollment and yield figures suggest an acceptance rate of approximately 3.7 percent, down from 4.18 percent last year.

Of the students offered admission, 80.9 percent enrolled, marking the sixth consecutive year in which more than 80 percent of admitted students have enrolled.

The new figures also come amid sustained uncertainty over the future of international students at Harvard, as the Trump administration continues to pursue restrictions on foreign student enrollment.

Students in the Class of 2030 hail from 86 countries, down from 92 last year. But the share of international students remained the same, accounting for 15.4 percent of the class. Harvard did not release a country-by-country breakdown of its incoming class.

In May 2025, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s certification to host international students, a move a federal judge blocked in federal court. The administration has since pursued additional restrictions on student visas, including a proposed cap on student visas to four years. That move was also blocked in September.

The administration also opened an investigation into potential J-1 visa fraud at Harvard and eight other universities, citing concern that the University was undercutting the wages of American students.

Despite the uncertainty, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William “Bill” R. Fitzsimmons ’67 told alumni at the Harvard Club of Minnesota earlier this month that Harvard had received a record number of applications from international students in recent admissions cycles, attributing the sustained interest in part to the College’s need-blind admissions and financial aid opportunities for international students.

The Class of 2030 also includes a smaller portion of first-generation college students and students attending Harvard tuition-free, despite the College’s efforts to expand access for low-income families.

Thirty-nine percent of the Class of 2030 received full tuition assistance, down from 45 percent last year. More than half of those students receive financial aid covering all expenses, including tuition, fees, food, and housing.

The decline comes one year after Harvard expanded its financial aid program to cover the full cost of attendance for families whose annual income is less than $100,000 and eliminate tuition payment for those whose income falls below $200,000.

The share of first-generation students dropped from 20 percent to 17 percent, while the portion of freshmen qualified for federal Pell Grants — which provide financial assistance to low-income students — remained unchanged at 21 percent.

The Class of 2030 was also the first admitted through Harvard’s new partnership with QuestBridge, a nonprofit organization that matches high-achieving, low-income students with top Colleges and a full scholarship package.

Harvard has continued efforts to recruit students from underrepresented geographic regions, particular rural communities and the South and Midwest.

Fourteen percent of freshmen who applied came from the Midwest, up from 10 percent last year. Nineteen percent came from New England itself, followed by the Middle Atlantic, South, and Pacific regions at 23, 13, and 15 percent, respectively.

Fitzsimmons told the Class of 2030 during his address at Harvard’s Visitas weekend that the South had emerged as a key pipeline for Harvard admits, specifically pointing to Texas as a major source of students. The College has also partnered with organizations like the Harvard Undergraduate Rural League to connect prospective and current students and set up tours.

In Tuesday’s announcement, Fitzsimmons wrote that “each generation has recognized the remarkable opportunities Harvard offers – not only to pursue their own ambitions, but to make a difference in the world.”

“The Class of 2030 carries that tradition forward, bringing their own experiences and aspirations to campus,” he added.

—Staff writer Alexa M. Schmitt can be reached at [email protected] or Signal at alexaschmitt.15. Follow her on X ​​@alexa_m15_s.

—Staff writer Celine Muir can be reached at [email protected] or Signal at celinem.33. Follow her on X @celinemuir1.