The composition of the freshman class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for this academic year shows a marked increase in the proportion of Asian American students compared to previous years.
This change follows a pivotal decision by the Supreme Court earlier this year. The university released details about its new class on Wednesday, indicating that Asian American student representation has risen from 41% in the classes of 2024 through 2027 to 47% for the latest class, the class of 2028. This data becomes particularly significant in light of the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling against race-conscious admissions policies, stemming from litigation initiated by the group Students for Fair Admissions against both Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
In a video message, MIT’s president, Sally Kornbluth, shared insights on the new class’ composition. She remarked, “By now, you will likely have learned from Stu Schmill about the composition of the incoming first-year class. The class is, as always, outstanding across multiple dimensions and will…like last year’s class, and those before it…bring us an inspiring influx of new talents, interests and viewpoints.”
Kornbluth also noted the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on the class’s diversity, stating, “But 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 overview of student demographics from 2024 to 2027 versus the class of 2028 shows significant shifts: black/African American student representation has declined from 13% to 5%, and Hispanic/Latino student numbers have decreased from 15% to 11%.
Conversely, the gender distribution for the class of 2028 shows 50% male and 46% female students, with an additional 6% of students not specifying their gender or identifying differently. A breakdown of the educational background indicates that 67% of students come from public schools, while 31% hail from independent, religious, or international institutions.
Commenting on the enrollment of the class of 2028, Kornbluth expressed her concerns in a statement issued on Wednesday: “Now that the Class of 2028 has enrolled, the impact is clear, and it is concerning.” For further details, MIT has referred inquiries to its announcements and a blog post detailing the new first-year class profile.
