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KAHLENBERG  \nAIDAN SHANNON  \nPROGRESSIVE POLICY INSTITUTE  \nMARCH 2026  \n @ppi |  @progressivepolicyinstitute |  /progressive-policy-institute  \nTHE RISE OF ECONOMIC AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: UNIVERSITIES ARE FINDING NEW AND BETTER PATHS TO DIVERSITY  \nThe Rise of Economic Affirmative Action: Universities are Finding New and Better Paths to Diversity  \nRICHARD D. KAHLENBERG  \nAIDAN SHANNON  \nMARCH 2026  \nINTRODUCTION  \nMany feared that the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning the use of race in college admissions would deal a crushing blow to campus diversity. Before oral arguments in the case, more than 30 liberal arts schools filed an amicus brief warning that without the benefit of affirmative action, Black students might fall to just 2.1% of all new undergrads at selective institutions, a return to “early 1960s levels.”1 When the ruling came down, the court’s three liberal justices wrote in their dissent that it would have a“devastating impact” on minority enrollment.2  \nThankfully, those dire predictions have yet to come true. In this report, we review data from the 2024 and 2025 admissions cycles showing that, in the wake of Students for Fair Admissionsv. Harvard, higher education institutions have not given up on diversity. Instead, they have seemingly begun the hard work of finding new paths to it. Two main facts jump out:  \n1. Minority student enrollment fell less than critics of the court’s ruling forecasted. Most (though not all) of the country’s top colleges and universities avoided massive declines, and some saw barely any drop at all.  \n2. In response to the demise of traditional, race-based affirmative action, top-rated schools appear to have begun enrolling more economically disadvantaged students, opening their doors to a group of learners who add their own important dimension of diversity to campus culture. In a new analysis, we show that the share of students receiving Pell Grants, which provide aid to low-and middle-income undergrads, has increased at 15 of the 18 highly selective institutions that currently provide public, up  \nto-date data. In 10 cases, the share of Pell Grant-eligible students increased more than 20% .  \nTHE RISE OF ECONOMIC AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: UNIVERSITIES ARE FINDING NEW AND BETTER PATHS TO DIVERSITY  \nAdmitting more low-income and working-class students may have helped some schools limit declines in Black and Hispanic enrollment —though, as we discuss later in our paper, how much so is actually unclear.  \nRegardless, there is a fair amount of good news in these results. First, it is a relief that minority enrollment did not implode as some anticipated. Diverse campuses are good for students and good for our society. When schools bring young people from different ethnic backgrounds together, it deepens learning and increases understanding across races while reducing stereotypes. It also helps diversify America’s leadership class, which tends to be drawn from the graduates of highly selective colleges.3  \nThe rise in economic diversity is also very welcome, and overdue. America’s top colleges have a long, unfortunate history of virtually ignoring economic class in their admissions decisions. As a result, they have fallen short in their role as ladders for social mobility and failed to build student bodies that truly reflect the wider nation.  \nThe move toward economic affirmative action as a means to promote diversity is a step in the right political direction for higher education institutions that have lost much of the public’s support in recent years. Racial preferences were always unpopular; 68% of Americans backed the Supreme Court’s decision striking them down.4 By contrast, strong majorities of Americans think it is only fair to provide a leg up in college admissions to students who have overcome economic obstacles.5  \nBut the change is also a step toward greater fairness.","cbCaiuUiH7iITf8J","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuUiH7iITf8J","pdf",2643870,29,"English","# Introduction\n## Key findings from 2024–2025 admissions data\n## Why economic affirmative action matters\n## Limits of early trends and recommendations","[{\"question\":\"What change prompted this report’s focus on economic affirmative action?\",\"answer\":\"The report follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning the use of race in college admissions. It examines whether diversity outcomes after that ruling match earlier fears.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the 2024–2025 admissions data show about minority enrollment?\",\"answer\":\"The report concludes that minority enrollment fell less than critics forecasted. Many top institutions avoided major declines, and some saw little to no drop.\"},{\"question\":\"How did universities respond after traditional race-based affirmative action ended?\",\"answer\":\"The report states that highly selective schools began enrolling more economically disadvantaged students. It highlights increased shares of Pell Grant recipients at many institutions.\"}]","The Rise of Economic Affirmative Action - Universities are Finding New and Better Paths to Diversity | PDF",1792061417,73]