MIT admits 7% more Asian students after SCOTUS strikes down affirmative action

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has released statistics for its incoming freshman class of 2028, revealing a significant shift in the racial composition of students following the Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action in college admissions. The decision, which deemed race-based admissions policies unconstitutional, has led to a dramatic change in the demographics of MIT's latest class. Asians were the biggest winners, with a 7 percent increase in admissions, while white students lost 1 percent. Black and hispanic applicants lost substantial ground compared to the affitmative action years.

According to the newly released data, the percentage of black students in the freshman class has dropped sharply from 15 percent in the class of 2027 to just 5 percent in the class of 2028. Hispanic students have also seen a decline, falling from 16 percent to 11 percent. White students experienced a slight decrease, from 38 percent to 37 percent. In contrast, the percentage of Asian students increased significantly, rising from 40 percent to 47 percent.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth addressed the changes in a statement, acknowledging the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling on the diversity of the incoming class. “The class is, as always, outstanding across multiple dimensions,” Kornbluth said, “What it does not bring, as a consequence of last year’s Supreme Court decision, is the same degree of broad racial and ethnic diversity that the MIT community has worked together to achieve over the past several decades.”

The rise in Asian students and the decline in other ethnic groups align with evidence presented in two high-profile lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which were central to the Supreme Court's decision. The lawsuits argued that black applicants, for example, achieved lower SAT scores than their Asian counterparts and still gained admission over those Asian applicants.

The Supreme Court's ruling last summer declared that affirmative action practices in college admissions were unconstitutional. In the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized the limits of race-based policies in higher education. 

"Universities may define their missions as they see fit. The Constitution defines ours. Courts may not license separating students on the basis of race without an exceedingly persuasive justification that is measurable and concrete enough to permit judicial review,” Roberts stated. The court also found that race-based admissions at Harvard led to an over 11 percent decline in the admission of Asian students.