The MIT admissions office has outlined its approach to undergraduate admissions following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling, emphasizing a commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for prospective students. The institution has shifted its strategy to prioritize merit-based admissions while ensuring equal access for all applicants, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups. MIT has also made efforts to expand outreach and recruitment strategies, aiming to broaden its student body and foster a diverse academic community. Additionally, the admissions process now includes increased transparency, with updated criteria and clearer guidelines for applicants. The university remains dedicated to addressing systemic barriers and supporting students from all walks of life who demonstrate academic and personal potential.

MIT Admissions recently shared demographic data for the Class of 2028, the first group of students admitted under the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, which banned the use of race in undergraduate admissions. As Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services Stu Schmill ’86 had previously noted in a blog post in June, this ruling has led to a decline in the proportion of first-year students who identify as members of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. MIT News interviewed Schmill about these changes, emphasizing the importance of diversity in admissions and reflecting on how the ruling has influenced the college’s student body composition.

The MIT community is dealing with the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision, which has now affected their incoming Class of 2028. In a recent blog post, Schmill noted that while the ruling may have led to a decrease in applicants from underrepresented backgrounds, the actual numbers have shown a 16% representation from these groups, compared to 25% previously. However, MIT’s academic predictors like high school performance and standardized test scores remain unchanged, indicating that this demographic shift doesn’t affect their ability to predict success.

Other recent classes that were more broadly diverse. I stress this key point because many people believe MIT should prioritize academic excellence over diversity. However, every student we admit, regardless of background, comes from the top tier of academic readiness. During my time as dean, we considered only applicants who met our extremely high academic threshold. We then worked to create a diverse class from this highly qualified group, ensuring it reflected both breadth and excellence in its collective interests, skills, and experiences. The evidence of our success in achieving both academic excellence and broad diversity is evident in our outcomes. Over the past decade, as MIT has grown more inclusive, its collective academic performance, retention, and graduation rates have improved, reaching all-time highs for students from all backgrounds. Additionally, MIT has been widely recognized as a leader in engineering education, consistently graduating a higher proportion of engineers from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups than any other institution, while also being regarded as the world’s top university.

MIT stands as a top-tier institution in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while also serving as a key driver of innovation. These notable accomplishments by our community reflect a harmonious blend—not a clash—of diversity and excellence. When asked why diversity is crucial for an MIT education, it becomes evident that MIT’s success is bolstered by a student body that surpasses a high standard of academic excellence and embodies significant diversity. As MIT alumni can illustrate, students learn as much from their peers as from professors, whether they were studying mechanical engineering in the 1980s or guiding advisees today. By uniting individuals with varied perspectives, experiences, and talents—while aligning with MIT’s mission—they foster an atmosphere of collective excellence. Moreover, MIT’s commitment to diversity has attracted the most talented students from all backgrounds, who value this inclusivity in their educational experience. It should come as no surprise that today’s students increasingly prioritize attending a diverse institution, as they recognize the importance of this quality in their academic journey.

MIT historically took steps to ensure diversity in its student body, particularly in STEM fields, as a strategy to attract top talent. The rationale was that diversity fosters creativity and innovation, especially in problem-solving, which is vital for scientific and technological advancements. Yet, achieving this diversity has been challenging due to persistent racial inequalities in American education, particularly in STEM subjects. Data shows that many high schools with predominantly minority students lack access to advanced courses like calculus, computer science, and physics, which can hinder their preparedness for higher education in these fields.

It is significantly less likely for students from underrepresented groups to graduate with a STEM degree due to systemic challenges. Research from Stanford University’s Educational Opportunity Project indicates that school segregation, a factor tied to achievement gaps, has steadily increased since the early 1990s. Current levels of segregation now approach those seen after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling 70 years ago. In the MIT Admissions office, we observe firsthand the persistent educational inequality in the U.S.: disparities in opportunities can be seen from state to state, district to district, school to school, and sometimes even within schools. We have implemented efforts to help bridge these gaps by assisting prospective students with free resources to prepare for STEM work, whether at MIT or elsewhere. In my blog post, I discuss MIT’s long-standing commitment to expanding access to educational opportunity for students from all backgrounds. I believe MIT has the capability, and is dedicated to doing so, to continue opening the avenue of opportunity in the future.

What does this all mean? Before the SFFA decision, we used race as one of many factors to identify well-prepared students who emerged from unequal K-12 systems.

MIT’s educational environment has consistently been marked by its commitment to academic excellence and diversity. Students currently enrolled at MIT meet the institution’s rigorous standards, find a seamless fit within its curriculum, and thrive in its challenging yet supportive community. Following the SFFA decision, the university has adjusted its admissions practices, particularly in how it assesses applicants. This change, however, does not stem from the reinstatement of testing requirements but rather from the evolution of its admissions strategy. This year, MIT did not collect data on applicants’ race or ethnicity, which means the composition of its incoming Class of 2028 reflects this omission. Last year’s admitted students, who were evaluated under the previous testing requirement, included a higher proportion of applicants from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds. This outcome underscores the effectiveness of universal testing in identifying students who might not have had other avenues to demonstrate their qualifications. Standardized tests, while imperfect, remain a valuable tool in our admissions process, helping us identify students who might otherwise not be visible through other metrics. We will continue to use this tool to support our mission of creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all MIT students.

However, the SFFA decision has restricted our ability to select a class that intentionally draws from a broad spectrum of backgrounds among qualified applicants. MIT is now exploring how to expand its impact beyond the current boundaries. Q: Where does MIT go from here? A: Given the clear educational benefits, we still consider various types of diversity, such as prospective fields of study, areas of research, extracurricular activities, and accomplishments, as well as economic, geographic, and educational backgrounds—just not race. Following the decision, MIT has taken steps to enhance recruitment and financial aid efforts to increase accessibility for students from all backgrounds. These efforts include a targeted outreach program in rural America to identify and encourage students from those areas to apply to MIT. Additionally, MIT has implemented a policy where most families earning less than $75,000 annually pay nothing to attend, which has been shown to lower barriers to入学. This policy also expanded the number of students matched through QuestBridge, a national talent search program, by five times.

News is prepared from public university announcements for general guidance. Policies change frequently; confirm current details with each university admissions office.