Research & Studies

Black first-year student applications submitted via Common App grew by 12 percent over the past year. During the 2024-2025 season, Black students represented 14.8 percent of the total applicant pool - a 0.8 percentage point increase from 2023-2024.

Colleges and universities that have eliminated test score requirements for admissions have generally increased their overall student diversity. However, those that have experienced institutional hardships and those that continue to prioritize test scores despite their optional policy have not seen a significant increase in their enrollment of students from underrepresented racial backgrounds.

“Our hope is that this policy agenda will serve as a rallying point to increase momentum for positive, holistic change,” write the authors of the report from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “These challenges are not new, and we remain resolute and hopeful that change can and will be achieved.”

Using data from a U.S. university with one of the largest undergraduate populations, scholars from New York University and Princeton University have found that although students of color visit academic advisors more often than their White peers, they do not receive the same academic benefits.

The representation of Black speaking characters in the top 100 films of 2024 is roughly on par with Black Americans' share of the overall U.S. population. However, Black directors remain vasty underrepresented in their field; only 3 of last year's highest-grossing films were made by a Black director.

“Policies aimed at reducing healthcare disparities must prioritize racial justice, addressing digital redlining, technological exclusion, and the economic marginalization of Black communities,” write the study authors. “By leveraging health technology effectively, healthcare systems can work towards reducing disparities, enhancing patient engagement, and improving health outcomes for all populations.”

"This report is both a celebration of our progress and a call to action," said Glynda Carr, president and CEO of the Higher Heights Leadership Fund. "We cannot rest until Black women’s representation truly reflects our power in this democracy."

New research led by scholars at the University of the District of Columbia has found Black immigrants have higher quality diets than Black Americans, regardless of how long they have lived in the U.S.

According to a new study led by Cornell University, Black Americans and other Americans of color are the more willing than White Americans to engage in efforts to mitigate COVID-19 health disparities, even though they are underrepresented in scientific efforts to do so.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has released a new report analyzing the Senate Democratic Caucus' latest information on the demographic data of staff members in 2025. Information on the demographics of staff employed in the offices of Republican senators is currently unavailable.

The ACLU has found Black Americans' higher likelihood of opposing the death penalty has led to their disproportionate exclusion from serving on capital trial juries, thereby increasing discrimination in the form of nonrepresentative and biased juror pools.

“Loneliness is undeniably damaging, but we were struck by the resilience we observed among minority communities,” said lead author Dr. Oluwasegun Akinyemi of Howard University. “It points to cultural strengths and social ties that may help protect mental health, even when people feel disconnected.”

As of 2022, Black Americans represent some 8 percent of all adults over the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree in the United States. Black bachelor's degree holders typically make less than their White and Asian peers, even in fields of study with an overrepresentation of Black professionals.

Despite their overall underrepresentation in the profession, a significantly higher share of Black superintendents (80.4 percent) hold a doctorate than White superintendents (41 percent). Black superintendents also have higher median annual incomes, potentially due to their greater representation in larger and more urbanized districts.

"Currently, the ethno-racial gap in family income appears smaller than it otherwise would because women of color tend to work more when men of color earn less," said Dr. ChangHwan Kim of the University of Kansas. "Thus, unless there is an improvement in the earnings of men of color, closing the gender income gap could inadvertently exacerbate the ethno-racial gap in family income."

According to a new study, letters of recommendations received by Black students have fewer overall sentences than those received by White students. Additionally, Black students' letters are less likely to mention key topics such as their intellectual promise.

In an analysis of admissions data at 18 universities, research from the Urban Institute has found slight increases in Black students' applications and enrollment, while admittance rates have remained unchanged. However, at highly selective institutions, Black students' enrollment is decreasing, despite recent increases in their share of applications.

In a study led by scientists at MIT, Black patients in need of an organ transplant are 7 percent less likely to have a liver offer accepted, and 20 percent less likely to have a lung offer accepted compared to White patients with similar wait-list priority.

When modern social justice issues are framed as attacks on civil rights, Americans of all backgrounds are less likely to support government action. The authors theorize this language evokes memories of the civil rights movement, prompting unfavorable comparisons that may undermine the severity of contemporary problems.

Notably, the authors found that simply increasing corporate board diversity does not necessarily increase workplace safety. However, their research revealed that when diverse directors are in powerful board positions or on key board committee, their firms' workplace safety increases.