NYU Releases Data on the Class of 2028

NYU today released data on the 5,705 members of its entering first-year class, the first recruited since the 2023 Supreme Court decision banning the consideration of race or ethnicity in college admission decisions.

On the one hand, the percentages of first-generation college-goers and Pell recipients-important categories aligning with NYU's historic mission of providing access to higher education-remain high or increased. On the other were concerning declines among historically underrepresented minority* groups.

Among the members of the Class of 2028, 21% (21% in 2023) are first-generation college-goers, 23% (19% in 2023) are Pell eligible; and 26% (27% in 2023) are international students, including students from 82 countries. Also among the first-year students,14% (23% in 2023) are underrepresented minorities (4% are Black [7% in 2023] and 10% Latino [15% in 2023]); 27% (22% in 2023) are Asian Americans; 23% (21% in 2023) are White; students representing two or more races made up 5% (4% in 2023); and students for whom race or ethnicity were unknown made up 5% (3% in 2023). Forty-nine US states are represented among the entering class.

The decline in historically underrepresented minority groups was not unanticipated: the earlier banning of the consideration of race in college admissions in California and Michigan resulted in steep and abrupt declines in the presence of underrepresented minorities in selective campuses in their state universities' entering classes. These outcomes were noted in amicus briefs submitted to the Supreme Court aimed at persuading the Court to uphold its precedent. However, in June 2023, the Court ruled against the Harvard and UNC admissions programs, thereby legally prohibiting colleges and universities from any consideration of race in admitting students, a decision that NYU called "a step backwards" at the time.

NYU President Linda G. Mills said, "NYU was conceived as a university that would open higher education beyond the upper class for which it was largely reserved in the early 19th century. Over nearly two centuries, our community has worked hard to achieve broad racial and ethnic diversity because we believe that scholarly and educational benefits flow from that outcome, because it is in line with NYU's founding mission, and because it contributes to our nation's commitment to opportunity and equality. And through the establishment of The NYU Promise for NYU students entering our New York campus, we greatly improved our financial aid program, making an NYU education more affordable to more families. NYU wants a student body that thrives on difference. We will-we must-continue to innovate on and expand educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds and experiences. Investing in a broad range of access initiatives is essential to connecting our tradition and history as a University with our present objective to cultivate tomorrow's global leaders."

Mills added, "While the legal landscape changes, our values do not-and we must innovate-while always complying with existing law. Working with offices across the University, NYU's Global Enrollment Management and Student Success and the newly reconstituted Office of Global Inclusion will draw on the expertise of University leaders to reinvigorate our investment in creating the world's most representative class of students, one that thrives on our differences and creates a model for higher education."

MJ Knoll-Finn, Senior Vice President for Global Enrollment Management and Student Success, said, "Building on our longstanding commitment to access, our admissions staff have worked with colleagues from across NYU to expand our outreach programs and enhance our recruitment strategies in order to attract talented students from diverse communities across the U.S. and around the world."

Jason B. Pina, who, as Senior Vice President for University Life, oversees NYU's Office of Global Inclusion, said, "NYU will continue to not only recruit and admit the most talented individuals to join our community, but we will also work tirelessly to seek the most effective strategies to achieve our goals and to support our students' ambitions."

Carol Kim, Vice President for Global Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid, who directly oversees admissions for all three of NYU's degree-granting campuses, said, "As the preeminent global university, NYU remains steadfast in our long established commitment to diversity and inclusion, and our admissions teams at NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Shanghai are working tirelessly to create innovative recruitment strategies to continue that commitment, especially in bringing together students from all backgrounds to enable each of them in their own way to thrive in an increasingly diverse and global world."

*Defined as Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Hawaiian and other Pacific islander

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