Early admissions decisions are an exciting time of year, and historically – for the past 70 years – they’ve come with new data to help us understand admission trends. How many applicants were admitted? How diverse is the class and what is the demographic profile?
Harvard Will Not Release Data Following Early Admissions
For the Class of 2029 admissions process, however, Harvard is breaking from tradition, and will not be sharing data yet. In an excerpt on its website, Harvard writes:
“Moving to a single, annual admissions data release each fall will provide the most complete view of the newly enrolled class, reducing confusion and offering a predictable timeline. Due to the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision, we are unable to access all information about Harvard’s applicants, admitted students, and enrolling students, while the application review process is still underway.”
Why the Change? Understanding the Implications of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court Decision
In 2023, the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court deemed Harvard’s race-conscious admissions processes unconstitutional, citing, for example, discrimination against Asian-American applicants. As a result, colleges like Harvard cannot use race as a factor in the admissions process.
A few caveats allow colleges to continue to build diverse classes of students, though. For one, students can write about the ways in which their racial identity has shaped who they are and their life experience, which colleges may take into account. In addition, colleges may continue to work to recruit a diverse set of students by continuing outreach to first-generation, low-income, and rural communities.
The effect of the Supreme Court Ruling on admissions has been mixed. Some colleges experienced significant declines in underrepresented minorities – for example, “at MIT, the proportion of Black and Hispanic students fell by 15 percentage points from last year, according to institutional data” – but many other colleges did not experience a similar decline. It remains to be determined how Harvard’s Class of 2029 will be affected.
Why Does It Matter?
Scholars today are pressing for more demographic data on admissions, not less, to better understand admissions processes and their impact on society. As a result, Harvard’s delayed data release raises some red flags about issues like transparency and equity, and it may negatively affect public trust. In addition, it may set a standard that is adopted by other colleges and universities.
While it can be frustrating to have less data in the early admissions cycle, though, we can still expect data following the regular admissions cycle.
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