Harvard Law School has experienced a significant decline in Black student enrollment

Harvard Law School has experienced a significant decline in Black student enrollment following the Supreme Court's decision in 2023 to ban race-based affirmative action in college admissions. According to recent data, the number of Black first-year students at Harvard Law dropped from 43 in the previous year to just 19 for the 2024 academic year, marking the lowest percentage of Black students in the first-year class since the 1960s. This drop represents a decrease from 7.7% to 3.4% of the class. Similarly, Hispanic enrollment saw a decline from 11% to 6.9%, while White and Asian enrollment increased.

Harvard Law School has responded to these changes by altering its admissions process, moving from a traditional personal statement to requiring both a "Statement of Purpose" and a "Statement of Perspective," which asks applicants to reflect on how their experiences, background, and interests have shaped them. This was an attempt to maintain diversity in a race-neutral manner. However, the sharp decline in Black and Hispanic student numbers has led to concerns about the future diversity of the legal profession, particularly given Harvard Law's historical role in educating prominent Black lawyers.

This situation at Harvard Law mirrors broader trends observed in other elite universities, where some have seen similar declines in Black student enrollment while others have managed to maintain or slightly alter their diversity metrics in the first year post-ruling. The full impact of this decision on diversity in higher education is still unfolding, as universities adapt to new legal constraints on admissions practices.