Charlotte colleges are getting more racially diverse after landmark court case
Charlotte-area colleges and universities were growing more racially diverse before the Supreme Court ruled race-conscious admissions were unconstitutional. But new data show that, even after the decision, Charlotte-area schools are continuing to see more racial diversity.
Overall, new student enrollment at the nation’s large flagship state universities became more racially diverse after the decision. But, at the nation’s most selective schools, it became less so.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-2 decision that affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This barred colleges and universities from using race in admissions moving forward.
The schools that went before the court were Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both of which had race-conscious admissions prior to the decision.
Researchers at the Lumina Foundation, an Indianapolis-based organization focused on increasing access to higher education, analyzed racial demographic data of the incoming classes at 3,000 American universities over several admissions cycles: 2018 and 2019 (averaged together) as well as 2022 and 2023 (averaged together), each of which were prior to the Supreme Court decision. Then, researchers looked at the racial demographics of the incoming classes at those same schools in 2024, the year after affirmative action was overturned. They released findings last month as part of their report “The Future of Fair Admissions.”
Researchers collected data about four Charlotte-area schools: UNC Charlotte, Davidson College, Queens University of Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College. Johnson C. Smith University was not included in the data set.
None of these schools used race in admissions prior to the decision, and in 2024 their incoming classes were more racially diverse than in the few years before.
Local schools’ demographics
Race-conscious admissions have been less common than most people think, Davidson College Assistant Professor of Educational Studies Kevin McElrath told The Charlotte Observer.
“I think, when the average person thinks about affirmative action, they think, ‘Oh, every college uses this as a way to incentivize access for disadvantaged groups,’” McElrath said. “But actually, we’ve seen, really since the 90s, states enacting their own laws that effectively ban race-conscious admissions at public universities.”
So, at schools that already weren’t using race in admissions, it makes sense that the overturning of affirmative action wouldn’t meaningfully shift enrollment.
Here’s how the numbers break down at local schools:
- In 2018-19, UNC Charlotte’s incoming classes were 59.4% white, 12.5% Black and 9.4% Hispanic. In 2024, the incoming class was 43.9% white, 18.9% Black and 14.9% Hispanic.
- Davidson College’s incoming classes across 2018 and 2019 were 67.4% white, 6.2% Black and 8.5% Hispanic. In 2024, the incoming class was 58.5% white, 6.9% Black and 12.9% Hispanic.
- Queens University of Charlotte saw its share of white students remain steady at 57.1% in 2018-19 and 2024. However, the proportion of Black students increased — from 12.6% of its incoming classes in 2018-19 to 15.3% in 2024. Meanwhile, the proportion of Hispanic students declined slightly, from 14.0% in 2018-19 to 13.0% in 2024.
- At Central Piedmont Community College, the proportions of white, Black and Hispanic incoming students in 2024 were almost equal, each hovering around 27-28%. While the share of Black students has remained steady, the share of white students was 37.3% in 2018-19, and the share of Hispanic students was 18.7%.
With less than three school years of enrollment data since the summer 2023 Supreme Court decision, it’s hard to definitively describe its effect on college enrollment, McElrath said.
However, researchers at the Lumina Foundation observed noticeable changes in demographics at the nation’s most selective schools in particular.
While none of these schools can now consider race in admissions, many of them do still consider legacy status — that is, they give preference to students with family members who previously attended.
“Both the number and the percentage of underrepresented students of color significantly declined at highly selective institutions and even more sharply at Ivy League schools,” the February report stated. “The largest declines were among Black students.”
The number and share of underrepresented students of color increased almost everywhere else, most notably at state flagship universities.
At North Carolina State University, the proportion of white students in the incoming class decreased from 69.9% in 2018-19 to 66.2% in 2024. The proportion of Black students stayed relatively stagnant, hovering between 5-6%, while the share of Hispanic students increased from 6.0% in 2018-19 to 9.9% in 2024.
At UNC Chapel Hill, the proportion of white students in the incoming class decreased between 2018-19 and 2024, but so did the share of Black students. White students accounted for 56.1% of the incoming classes of 2018 and 2019 and 52.8% of the 2024 incoming class. Meanwhile, Black students accounted for 8.7% of the incoming classes in 2018-19 and 5.3% of the 2024 incoming class. Hispanic enrollment remained relatively stable, hovering between 8-9%. Asian new student enrollment increased from 12.1% to 18.5% from 2018-19 to 2024.
“Enrollment outcomes following the Supreme Court decision are a reminder that college admissions were never ‘race-based,’” the Lumina report stated. “College admissions and enrollment occur within a complex ecosystem where the actions and decisions of admissions officers, financial aid officers and students themselves shape and are shaped by each other.”
What options do schools have?
Even without race-conscious admissions, many schools want to pursue creating more racially and socioeconomically diverse student bodies.
McElrath said he’s not surprised to see the proportion of underrepresented racial minorities drop at highly-selective schools because applications are based upon experiences in a highly inequitable K-12 education landscape.
“Without direct investment from universities and higher education institutions, I would expect that diversity will probably continue to wither away at institutions, because when we think about the state of K-12 education in the U.S. today, it’s dramatically unequal in terms of curricular options, in terms of funding for schools,” he said. “So, if we don’t have a focus on diversity, the most advantaged are going to get in at higher rates because they’re going to have better resumes… It’s a stacked deck.”
However, McElrath said schools have tools at their disposal to increase diversity.
Research shows that students that come from low socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to apply to more selective schools in the first place, McElrath said.
“The U.S. is highly stratified by neighborhood, by socioeconomic status and race. If Harvard or Yale or Duke or any of these schools want to expand racial and socioeconomic diversity, they can recruit more heavily in socioeconomically disadvantaged and more diverse schools,” he said. “They can go to these high schools and recruit at them.”
He said schools also need to make more information available about what scholarship and financial aid they offer, since many students won’t apply if they assume they have no chance of affording it even if admitted.
“Higher education institutions have a lot of agency in this…These are dramatically well-resourced organizations,” he said. “So, this informational disadvantage that socioeconomically disadvantaged groups have can be rectified by higher ed institutions… It might take some time, but if you can get people to apply, they can get in.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
