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BU’s first-year Black student enrollment falls to 3%, Northeastern to 5%.
Another two Boston colleges reported declines in Black student enrollment in their incoming classes on Thursday, following a trend of decreasing diversity among first-year students.
Boston University says its population of Black first-year students dropped from 9% last year to 3%, while Northeastern University reported a decrease from almost 8% to just over 5%.
The universities attribute the decline to the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions. The decision declared that race can no longer be a factor in admitting students and challenged higher education institutions to find new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
The decline in enrolled undergraduate Black students at BU is “concerning and disappointing,” President Melissa Gilliam said to BU Today. She said the issue “will be a priority” for the university moving forward.
Gilliam said Boston University will set up a task force beyond the admissions team to create pipelines to at
