(DailyEmailNews.com) – While the 2023 decision of the US Supreme Court to nix race-based college admissions — so-called “affirmative action” — restored fairness and common sense, it has also proven to be a win for Asian-Americans as indicated by the composition of the new freshman class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has reported a notable rise in Asian-American students within its newest freshman class, the first admitted following the Supreme Court’s elimination of affirmative action in college admissions.
Asian-American students now constitute 47 percent of the class, up from 40 percent last year, according to recent admissions statistics released by MIT, National Review reports.
These figures align with the arguments presented by Students for Fair Admissions in its lawsuits against Harvard College and the University of North Carolina.
The group contended that biased admissions criteria unfairly disadvantaged Asian students who generally excelled on standardized tests like the SAT while favoring black and Hispanic candidates who, on average, scored lower.
The pivotal Supreme Court decision is expected to lead to a reduction in black student enrollment and an increase in Asian representation. This shift was anticipated by MIT as well.
“We expected that this would result in fewer students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups enrolling at MIT. That’s what has happened,” MIT’s Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill expressed in an interview with the campus publication MIT News.
The composition of other racial groups at MIT has shifted as well: enrollment of black students has decreased from 15 percent to 5 percent, and Hispanic students from 16 percent to 11 percent, while the proportion of white students remains nearly unchanged at 37 percent.
These statistics do not account for international students, nor do they total 100 percent, as some students identify with multiple racial or ethnic groups.
MIT is the first leading university to disclose the demographic makeup of its freshman class following the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision.
“The class is, as always, outstanding across multiple dimensions. 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,” stated MIT president Sally Kornbluth.
Previously, MIT utilized race-based admissions policies to foster diversity by actively recruiting underrepresented minorities.
After ruling, MIT adjusted its practices in compliance with the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which found the admissions strategies at Harvard and UNC unconstitutional.
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