Following the end of race-conscious affirmative action, Binghamton University saw its highest enrollment since 2017 and changes in diversity statistics this fall.
Out of 18,815 students, 9,068 — just over 48 percent — identified as white, and 834 — around 4.4 percent — identified as Black or African American, according to a spreadsheet compiled by the University’s Office of Institutional Research. About 16 percent of students — or 3,052 — identified as Asian and almost 12 percent as Hispanic, while seven identified as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and another seven as Indigenous. An additional 717, nearly 4 percent, identified as two or more races, while 865 were marked as “unknown.” An additional 2,050 nonresident students — international students not included in the University’s diversity data — attended BU in the fall.
“As part of our mission, we have an unwavering commitment to all aspects of diversity and remain steadfast in our recruitment efforts to ensure diversity is represented in our student portfolio,” Karen Jones, BU’s vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, said in a statement to Pipe Dream.
After a slight dip between 2020 and 2021, enrollment has steadily increased. The fall 2024 semester saw the arrival of 5,477 new students — 90 more than last year — consisting of 3,248 freshmen, 763 transfers and 1,466 graduate students.
Of the enrolled students last semester, 9,037 were listed as male, 9,773 as female, and for the first time, five as a legally recognized other sex. This follows Common App, a popular college application program, adding the choice of a third sex for the 2023-24 admission cycle.
Underrepresented minority students, defined by the University as “historically underrepresented groups in higher education,” comprised around 21 percent of the student body, about the same as last year’s numbers. This year’s enrollment of new underrepresented students, however, dipped slightly since fall 2023, from around 23 to 19.6 percent of the freshman class.
“Enrollment of new underrepresented minority students dipped slightly — down 2% from last year’s historically high numbers — but we are pleased that they are generally in line with our numbers from 2 years ago, which were some of our highest,” said Donald Loewen, the vice provost for undergraduate education and enrollment management. “And with transfer students, numbers actually went up significantly for Hispanic and Black students so that, as a whole, the fall 2024 incoming class consists of 20% underrepresented students.”
The fall 2024 admission cycle was the first following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision that race-conscious admissions programs in higher education were unlawful. While the ruling permitted admissions officers to consider race in some ways, namely through personal essays, critics argued that banning affirmative action further contributed to racial inequality in higher education.
The end of affirmative action could account for the 865 students who did not share their race — more than doubling since fall 2023 — according to Dennis Ikpe, a statistical research analyst at the Office of Institutional Research.
“While race provides statistical value, it is not required as part of the admission process,” Ikpe wrote in an email. “Following the Supreme Court decision in June 2023, race can no longer be used in college admissions at all. This is likely fueling the trend we are seeing of students choosing not to provide this information on their applications.”
Just one year after the Supreme Court ruling, some colleges — including New York University, Cornell University and Harvard University — have already seen steep drops in Black and Hispanic student enrollment. In states that previously banned affirmative action like California, universities received fewer applications from underrepresented groups, contributing to declines in degrees and wages.
From 2023 to 2024, some groups saw marginal changes at BU. Hispanic and Asian students had increased enrollment, up less than a percentage point each, as well as students of two or more races, who went up one percent. Black and white student enrollment dipped by less than half and 2 percent respectively, while nonresident students also slightly decreased.
“Like other institutions nationwide, we are finding our footing in the new admissions landscape after SCOTUS changed the rules, and we will continue to emphasize our institutional commitment to diversity,” Loewen said.