The drop in percentage represents roughly 45 fewer non-white incoming first-year students
Harvard Law School has reported a significant decline in the percentage of students of colour in its incoming class, marking the first year of admissions following the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-conscious admissions practices.
The proportion of students of colour in the new class fell to 43 percent, down from 51 percent in 2023, Reuters reported. This year’s drop comes after the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 ruling, which prohibited colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in their admissions decisions. The case, along with another involving the University of North Carolina, was seen as a pivotal moment for diversity initiatives in higher education.
The 8-percentage-point decline translates to roughly 45 fewer non-white first-year students in the incoming Harvard Law class, which consists of 560 students. At 43 percent, this is the lowest percentage of students of colour at the elite law school since 2017, with the figure peaking at 56 percent in 2021.
While the data does not break down the racial composition of the class, it reflects broader concerns that the Supreme Court’s ruling could hinder efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession, according to Reuters. The ruling has sparked debate over the future of lawyer diversity, with some fearing that fewer opportunities for minority students could negatively impact diversity across the legal industry.
The decline in diversity at Harvard Law mirrors a similar trend reported by Harvard University for its broader undergraduate program. Harvard said that the percentage of Black students in its freshman class dropped by more than a fifth, from 18 percent in 2023 to 14 percent this year. However, the percentage of Hispanic students saw a slight uptick from 14 percent to 16 percent.
Other top-ranked law schools have also disclosed their diversity figures with mixed results. The University of California, Berkeley School of Law reported a decline in its proportion of students of colour, from 57 percent to 50 percent. At the same time, several other top-14 law schools have maintained or increased their diversity numbers.
The American Bar Association is expected to release more detailed, school-specific enrollment data, broken down by race, in December.
