'Segregation Forever'?: The Continued Underrepresentation of Black Undergraduates at the Nation's 122 Most Selective Private Colleges and Universities

This report analyzes access through the lens of enrollment for Black residents who are between the ages of 18-24. At The Education Trust, it is believed enrollment is just one component of higher education access, and that retention, completion, and student outcomes should be considered as well. While nearly 74% of the institutions in the sample have increased their Black undergraduate student enrollment since 2000, findings show that these increases were slight, and that overall, very little progress has been made. The overwhelming majority of the nation's most selective private colleges and universities remain inaccessible for Black first-time, full-time undergraduate students. From 2000 to 2020, the percentage of institutions receiving D's and F's for Black student access only fell by one percentage point, from 81% to 80%. See Black Student Appendix for a comprehensive list of the access grades, scores, and enrollment benchmark data for each institution. The lingering underrepresentation of Black students is especially concerning, since the Supreme Court has banned the use of race as a factor in higher education admissions. Already, the detrimental impacts of banning affirmative action in states like California, where Black student enrollment plummeted following the 1996 adoption of Proposition 209, has been seen. Additionally, it is known that boosting racial and ethnic diversity has a positive effect on campus racial climate and student success, so making these institutions more accessible for Black students would benefit all students.