What’s next for Black students? – The Famuan

On September 30, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1780, effectively banning legacy and donor preferences in the admission process to California private institutions in an effort to promote diversity. With Governor Newsom’s signature, the bill will become effective in September 2025, making California the fifth state to ban admissions based on relative alumni and donors.

“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work. The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly,” Governor Newsom said in a press statement regarding the bill’s passing. 

More universities are promoting diversity and equality through admissions. However, because of Ivy League schools’ historical prominence and notability, there is bound to be friction regarding admission changes.

A second-year engineering student, Jayden Edwards, described herself as “very glad” for the new legacy admissions ban. “You get told you have to work for everything in your life, and then you get into the top colleges because your parents went there,” she said. “It doesn’t seem like much hard work; all you have to do is be born.”

Aurea Hughes, a third-year political science student, also shared her perspective on this matter.

“While the recent ban on legacy admissions in California is a step toward addressing this

inequality, I’m not convinced it will automatically lead to a fairer or more diverse

admissions process,” Hughes said. “There are still several potential loopholes that universities could exploit.”

Since the Supreme Court overturned race-conscious decisions, also known as affirmative action, in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and the University of North Carolina last summer, the enrollment of Black, Latinx and Indigenous students declined significantly.

After the affirmative action ban, Harvard University’s Class of 2028 Black student enrollment decreased to 14 percent from its previous 18 percent the year before. Similarly, Amherst College’s dropped 7 percent, resulting in 3 percent of Black students.

Evidently, many institutions have struggled to increase diversity and maintain an equilibrium of minority students, which has had lasting effects on these schools. With two seemingly contradicting bills passed, the question remains: where do Black students stand amidst academic uncertainty in an ever-changing political environment?

A possible solution to this uncertainty is the promotion of historically Black colleges and universities. Many believe that HBCUs will become a haven for incoming students.

“I think more Black students will go to HBCUs because a lot of us are starting to realize that these are spaces created for us,” Benjamin said. “Most times, these schools are just as good as, if not better than, PWIs for experience and education.”

Historically, HBCUs were founded to address racial disparities, allow Black Americans access to higher education and provide a safe environment for Black Americans in the antebellum era. With 107 total HBCUs across America, these institutions continue to embody these ideals.

“HBCUs provide environments where Black students feel seen, respected and empowered, rather than being used to check a diversity box,” Hughes said. “As more Black students witness the failures of PWIs to address racial inequities genuinely, I think this trend will continue.”

 After the decline in Black student enrollment in PWIs, HBCUs continue to benefit from a surge of applications. According to Inside Higher Ed, Howard University, the alma mater of Vice President and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, had a 10 percent increase, rising from 33,000 to 36,000 applications for the Class of 2028. 

However, the weight of a degree from an Ivy League school continues to be attractive to upcoming students. To encourage Black students to explore HBCU options, Edwards calls for more erasure between “pristine degrees” from Ivy Leagues and college degrees. “A degree is a degree no matter where it comes from,” Edwards added.

With the recent ban on legacy admissions and affirmative action, it is clear that the future of Black students remains uncertain terrain in the Ivy League.