Stanford University recently shared preliminary data for its Class of 2028, offering early insights into the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on race-conscious admissions. This year’s data was released ahead of the usual timeline due to the heightened national interest in how the ruling has affected enrollment. Typically, Stanford waits to publish its enrollment data until the Common Data Set, which is released several weeks into the fall quarter, but this early look sheds light on key trends.
Stanford Class of 2028: Data on Admissions and Diversity Post-Ruling
This year, there has been a decline in the number of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino students. Black/African American students now represent 5% of the class, down from 9% last year, while Hispanic/Latino students decreased from 17% to 15%. These decreases are consistent with trends seen at other universities affected by the Supreme Court's decision, which prohibits race-conscious admissions. In response, Stanford is expanding its outreach efforts using race-neutral strategies to recruit high-achieving students from underrepresented groups. These include increasing in-person outreach, highlighting need-based scholarships, creating a new team of regionally based admission officers to build stronger community connections, and more.
Stanford’s Dual Approach for Reporting Racial Identity in Admissions Data
The university is providing preliminary data for this fall’s first-year class of 1,704 students through two reporting methods: Federal Race / Ethnicity and Check-all-that-apply.
First-Year Matriculants
| Federal Race / Ethnicity 2023 | Federal Race / Ethnicity 2024 | Check-all-that-apply 2023 | Check-all-that-apply 2024 | |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1% | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Asian | 26% | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Black or African American | 9% | 5% | 12% | 7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 17% | 15% | 17% | 15% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | <1% | <1% | 2% | 1% |
| White | 21% | 22% | 39% | 38% |
| Two or More Races | 8% | 8% | n/a | n/a |
| Unknown/ Decline to state | 4% | 8% | 4% | 8% |
| International | 14% | 14% | 14% | 14% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 124% | 121% |
Stanford presented the enrollment data in two formats. The first follows the federal government’s method, showing Asian students at 27% and White students at 22%. The second, a "check all that apply" method, allows students to report multiple racial identities, resulting in higher percentages for some groups—35% for Asian students and 38% for White students. These differences illustrate the complexity of racial identity reporting and how it can vary depending on methodology.
While racial representation has shifted, Stanford’s Class of 2028 remains diverse in other important ways. Students come from every U.S. state and 70 countries, and 21% are the first in their families to attend college. Additionally, 56% of the class attended public high schools. These students bring a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, continuing Stanford’s tradition of fostering a rich and varied student body.
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