Last week the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in case that seeks to overturn the ban on race-sensitive admissions at state universities in Michigan that was enacted by voters. Now, the University of Michigan has issued new data on the racial makeup of its first-year class and of its total enrollment.
There are 316 African American students in this year’s entering class. They make up 5.1 percent of the incoming class. The number of African American first-year students declined for the third year in a row. African Americans make up 14.6 percent of the Michigan population. Thus, in order for racial parity to prevail, the number of Black students in the entering class at the University of Michigan would have to nearly triple.
All told, there are 2,266 African Americans on the University of Michigan campus this fall making up 6 percent of the entire student body. African Americans are 5.8 percent of all undergraduate students and 6.6 percent of all graduate students.
