UMass Amherst says incoming class is its most diverse ever

AMHEREST - UMass Amherst said Wednesday that its incoming freshman class is "the most diverse in the university's history." The announcement comes one week after another college in Massachusetts said the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling to reject affirmative action resulted in fewer new students from historically under-represented racial and ethnic groups.

After getting more than 50,000 applications, UMass Amherst said it is welcoming 5,300 students to campus this week.

"The Class of 2028 ranks as the most diverse in the university's history, with nearly 39% of its 5,350 members composed of ALANA (African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Native American) students and nearly 19% of the class being under-represented minority students," UMass Amherst said in a statement. "Female students account for nearly 53% of the class."

The incoming class also has the highest combined SAT and ACT scores in the past decade, and the second-highest average school GPA, UMass said.

MIT said incoming class was less diverse

MIT in Cambridge said last week that its incoming first-year class was less diverse than usual because of the Supreme Court decision that ended the use of race as a factor in college admissions.

"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. "That's what has happened."

What UMass said about affirmative action

When the Supreme Court ruling came down last year, UMass president Marty Meehan and the chancellors of the five-school system said they would look at how the admissions process would be affected.

"The University of Massachusetts will continue to follow the law, and will do so while sustaining its deep and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion," UMass leadership said in a statement. "We believe this is essential to the advancement of academic excellence and critical to the preparation of our students to succeed in a global economy."