MIT says incoming class is less diverse after Supreme Court ruling

CAMBRIDGE - MIT says its incoming first-year class is less diverse because of the Supreme Court's ruling in 2023 to reject affirmative action.

The university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, shared demographic data showing that about 16% of the Class of 2028 identify as Black, Hispanic, and/or Native American and Pacific Islander. In recent years that number has been about 25%, the school said.

Incoming students this fall are the first to be affected by the 6-3 decision that said race-based college admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling brought an end to affirmative action at college campuses nationwide.

"We expected that this would result in fewer students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups enrolling at MIT," Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill said in an article on MIT's website. "That's what has happened."

Harvard has not yet released demographic information for its incoming first-year class. Students there said the community would suffer with less diversity as a result of the ruling.

MIT will "seek out new approaches" to diversity

Dozens of college presidents in Massachusetts last year called the Supreme Court's ruling "disappointing." MIT president Sally Kornbluth said the school will follow the law, but needs to "seek out new approaches" to ensure a diverse student community.

"That means continuing to offer an affordable MIT education through our ongoing commitment to meeting 100% of financial need for all undergraduates, and making sure prospective students know they can afford an MIT education," she said.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said colleges can still weigh "an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise."