Harvard reports decline in Black, Latino and international student enrollment after clash with Trump administration

After months of pressure from the Trump administration to end its DEI programs, Black and Latino enrollment has fallen at Harvard.

Following months of pressure from the Trump administration to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and limit the number of international students, Black and Latino enrollment at Harvard has dropped this year.

On Thursday, October 23, the university released enrollment data for the class of 2029, showing that the share of Black and Latino students has fallen to nearly 10 percent.

About 12 percent of this fall’s incoming freshmen identify as Black or African American, down from 14 percent in 2024. The percentage of students who identify as Latino also saw a sharp decline, from 16 percent last year to 11 percent. By contrast, Asian American representation rose from 37 percent to 41 percent. International students decreased slightly from 16 percent to 15 percent, according to The New York Times. The percentage of students identifying as white was not disclosed.

The university also noted that students could select more than one race, while about eight percent chose not to report their race.

The decline comes amid a broader battle between Harvard and the Trump administration. Earlier this year, federal officials demanded the university dismantle its DEI office, cap international student admissions, and hand over data on foreign enrollees—threatening to revoke billions in research funding, its student-visa certification, and even its tax-exempt status if it refused. Harvard pushed back, filing a lawsuit in April after the administration froze more than $2 billion in federal grants, arguing the move was politically motivated and unconstitutional.

The clash follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in “Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College,” which struck down race-based admissions and barred universities from considering race as a factor in their decisions. The impact of that decision became evident in 2024 when enrollment for students of color declined nationwide.