SEGREGATION FOREVER?: The Continued Underrepresentation of Black Undergraduates at the Nation's 122 Most Selective Private Colleges and Universities

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum

The Education Trust examines how Black first-time, full-time undergraduate students are underrepresented at the nation's 122 most selective four-year private colleges and universities, comparing 2000 and 2020 enrollment shares to state demographic benchmarks. Access is measured with 0–100 access scores and translated into letter grades. Results show limited progress: the share of institutions receiving D or F grades for Black student access drops only from 81% to 80%, leaving most elite private colleges inaccessible despite growth at many institutions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages46

Reading Time1 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Why it Matters Who Attends a Selective Private College or University

How Colleges & Universities Were Graded

How Accessible Were These Institutions for Black Students in 2000?

Have Institutions Increased Black Student Enrollment Since 2000?

How HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions Bolster Black Student Access Across the Nation

Insufficient Statewide Black Student Access

How Can Campus Leaders and Policymakers Improve Access for Black Students.

About the Data

Appendix and Interactive Data

Endnotes

# SEGREGATIONFOREVER'?: The Continued Underrepresentation of BlackUndergraduates at the Nation's 122Most Selective Private Colleges and Universities The Education Trust # TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8 Why it Matters Who Attends a Selective Private College or Universit………………………………………………………………10 Figure 1: Six-Year Completion Rates by Race/Ethnicity and Sector Figure 2: U.S.Leaders Who Earned an Undergraduate Degree at a Four-Year Selective Private College or University in Our Sample How Colleges &Universities Were Graded…………………………………………………………………………………………………………14 How Accessible Were These Institutions for Black Students in 2000?………………………………………………………………16 Figure 3: Percentage Distribution ofAccess Grades and Scores at Selective Private Colleges and Universities in 2000 Have Institutions Increased Black Student Enrollment Since 2000?………………………………………………………………18 Figure 4:Change in the Share of Black Students at Four-Year Selective Private Colleges From Selected Years 2000 to 2020 Has Black Student Enrollment Kept Pace With Institutional Enrollment Benchmarks?…………………………………20 Figure 5: Comparing Changes in State Demography and Enrollment at Four-Year Selective Private Colleges and Universities Figure 6: Percentage Distribution ofAccess Grades and Scores at Four-Year Selective Private Colleges and Universities in 2020 How HBCUS and Minority-Serving Institutions Bolster Black Student Access Across the Nation…………………24 Figure 7: Percentage Distribution of Black Student Access Grades and Scores at Four-Year Selective Minority-Serving Institutions (2000 and 2020) Insufficient Statewide Black Student Access…………………………………………………………………………………………………………26 Limited Progress, Insufficient Access for Black Students…………………………………………………………………………………26 Table 1: The Least Accessible Selective Four-Year Private Colleges and Universities for Black Students Table 2: The Most Accessible Selective Four-Year Private Colleges for Black Students How Can Campus Leaders and Policymakers Improve Access for Black Students. ……………………………………31 About the Data…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………37 Appendix and Interactive Data…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………39 Endnotes……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………40 # SEGREGATION FOREVER'?:The Continued Underrepresentation of Black Undergraduates at the Nation's 122 Most SelectivePrivate Colleges and Universities BY:GABRIEL MONTAGUE,ED.M.,HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH ANALYST In 2020,The Education Trust released a report titled,“Segregation Forever?,”which explored the continued underepresentation of Black and Latino first-time,full-time undergraduate enrollees at the nation's 101 most selective four-year public collegesand universities in 2000 and 2017.This analysis provided evidence that Black and Latino students remainedvastly underrepresented at these institutions,based on the population demographics of the states in whichthese public colleges and universities were located,with Black students having less access in 2017¹than theydid in 2000. As a follow up to this critical work,authored by the late Dr.Andrew Nichols,we explored access for thesesame student groups at the nation's 122 most selective four-year private colleges and universities by lookingat the years 2000 and 2020,to see how well Black enrollment at these institutions matched the demographicsof Black residents in the states from which first-time students came.While the share of Black studentenrollment grew at nearly 3 in 4 of these institutions between 2000 and 2020,enrollment failed to representthe demographics of the states from which students came.While population parity is not the ultimate goal,itis the most reliable benchmark for comparison based on available data at the time of our analysis.This rep

FAQs

What does the report measure to evaluate access for Black students?

It uses enrollment-based access scores from 0–100, assessing how well each institution’s Black enrollment reflects the state demographics of students’ origins.

How did institutions perform for Black student access from 2000 to 2020?

The percentage of institutions receiving D or F grades fell by only one percentage point, from 81% to 80%, indicating persistent inaccessibility despite some enrollment growth.

Why is the underrepresentation of Black students described as especially concerning?

The report links ongoing underrepresentation to the Supreme Court’s limits on using race in admissions and highlights observed impacts after affirmative action bans, such as in California.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Callum