Diversity plunged at elite colleges after the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action last year. The justices determined race could not be used as a factor in deciding who’s admitted.
But UCLA student diversity rose to record numbers during the 2024 fall semester, according to the LA Times.
The university increased its Black freshmen student population by 5.1% and Latino freshmen by 4.3%.
UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management Gary Clark says that SCOTUS’ affirmative action ruling paralleled what California was already doing.
“Back in the late 90s, California passed what was called Proposition 209, which at that time precluded all public universities from considering race, ethnicity, or gender … in the review and selection process and admissions. So what was new to many colleges and universities across the country has really been the state of affairs for us for well over 25-plus years.”
He emphasizes that the school isn’t just trying to increase the volume of students at UCLA. “I think what a lot of these programs are intended to do is … to get in front of students early on in their high school career, or to engage with them in their early experiences at a community college, to help them prepare to be successful in what is a very competitive admission process that we have here at UCLA.”
The Westwood-based university works with LA Unified high schools, community organizations, and families before students submit college applications.
“We want students to be armed with the information necessary to make themselves a competitive candidate,” Clark notes.
Part of the strategy, he says, is connecting students with college counselors and minority campus organizations doing outreach. The ultimate goal is for students to feel a sense of community, so they stay enrolled.
“We want to give them the opportunity to engage with faculty, staff, current students, alumni — oftentimes who might identify with the same background as they do. Because we want them to get a sense of what the community is like here, that there is a community of students like them, and I think that really goes across the board.”