Northwestern’s preliminary admission data released Tuesday revealed an overall increase in historically underrepresented groups within the class of 2028.
This was the first admission cycle that came after the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action last year, barring universities from considering race as a factor in the admissions process.
According to the report, the latest NU class saw an increase in the percentage of Black or African American students, reaching 15.4% from 14.2% since last year. The percentage of Hispanic or Latino students also rose from 17.2% to 17.5% from last year.
The enrollment of international students increased from 10.5% to approximately 13%, while the percentage of American Indian or Alaska Native students increased from 2% to 2.4%.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action, the University rolled out a set of new changes to its application last September.
Most notably, the perennial “Why Northwestern” section was removed and replaced with a 300-word prompt that asks students about their identities and backgrounds and how it affects their engagement with the NU community.
Students were also given the option to answer five additional questions that ask them to share how they see themselves getting involved in different aspects of campus life.
“Although the Supreme Court decision impacts the use of race in admissions, it does not affect the University’s ability to define our mission and values, including the importance of diversity and inclusion,” said Stacey Kostell, NU’s vice president and dean of enrollment, in the Tuesday news release.
A day before the release of its admission data, NU was placed No. 6 in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual National Universities rankings, tied with the California Institute of Technology, Duke University and Johns Hopkins University.
NU’s admission results appear to run opposite to those of several other elite universities, which experienced declines in underrepresented minority enrollment.
“Our commitments to expansive outreach, innovative and student-centered recruitment practices, holistic admissions review and widening college access reflect Northwestern’s values,” University President Michael Schill said in the news release.
In August, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a drop-off in the percentage of Black, Hispanic and Native American students in the incoming class from about 25% to 16%. Black student enrollment specifically dropped from 15% to 5%, and Hispanic student enrollment dropped from 16% to 11%.
Harvard University also reported an overall decrease in minority groups with this year’s freshman class. The percentage of Black or African American students in their class dropped from 18% to 14%. Those identifying as Native American decreased from 2% to 1%.
However, the percentage of Hispanic and Latine students went up from 14% to 16% from last year’s data.
Similar to NU, Duke University reported an increase in the percentage of Hispanic or Latine students from 13% to 14%. Duke saw an increase in Native American, American Indian, Native Alaskan or Native Hawaiian from 1.2% last year to 1.3% this year. The percentage of Black or African American students remained at 13%.
NU results also extend beyond race and ethnicity, including an increase in the number of Pell Grants awarded to the freshman class and a rise in first-generation students at the university.
Among this year’s freshmen, 16% are first-generation college students and 22% have received Pell Grants. Both percentages are an increase from the 15% of first-generation students and 20% of Pell Grant recipients from the previous year.
The finalized numbers for the class of 2028 makeup will be available in 10 days.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Janelle_Mella
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