Data shows that fewer and fewer students reveal their race when applying to top universities and colleges

As the firstclass because the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative motion entered college this yr, the potential fallout from that decision can be emerging. Following the revelation that among the nation’s leading colleges are attended by students of color, it appears that fewer and fewer students are disclosing their race on their applications.

According to latest data by think tank and nonprofit education advocacy organization Education Reform Now (ERN), not only has the variety of students identifying as black or African American “significantly declined,” but in addition the variety of students disclosing their race throughout the application process.

The European Reference Network, which has been monitoring enrollment in “highly selective” colleges and universities for the past month, analyzed data from 34 institutions to arrive at its findings.

Although these preliminary findings don’t bode well, the organization warns against drawing hasty conclusions. However, they agree that among the recent changes in college admissions appear to be related to the Supreme Court decision.

“It is far too early to attribute the cause to this year’s enrollment results,” the researchers said in their report.

They continued: “We barely know what happened to freshman recruiting after SFFA; we actually do not know why this happened. It is evident that the SFFA decision to prohibit the consideration of race in college admissions decisions had an impact on college admissions, however it is just too early to determine exactly what that impact was, how widespread it was, and the way it interacted with other aspects, and Will this yr’s recruitment effects persist over time?

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Researchers also found that colleges and universities use different methods to track race amongst students, making it even tougher to collect and analyze data.

This was reported by one other researcher monitoring the variety of university admissions USA today that he often appears like he’s comparing “apples to pears.”

Although that is early research (the firstclass has only been at the varsity for 2 months), ERN and other organizations have begun tracking admissions, largely out of ongoing curiosity about how college enrollment is changing. They also want to be ready since the story will unfold over time. For now, it’s clear that the tide is popping. Over time, it can turn into clear how and why things change.