3 In 4 Students Of Color Likely To Discuss Race In College Admissions Essays

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The Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action disrupted the college admissions landscape for both colleges and applicants. As the first group of college applicants in the post-affirmative action era, the class of 2024 faces new questions about including race and ethnicity information in their applications.

To get insight into how students are navigating these concerns, in September, Intelligent.com surveyed 103 high school seniors of color who plan to go to college in the 2024-25 academic year. We asked students how they plan to address race in their college applications as well as their thoughts on the end of affirmative action.

Key findings:

  • 77% of students of color say they are likely to write about their race in their admissions essays
  • 88% of students of color are likely to answer a demographic question about their race/ethnicity versus opting out
  • 3 in 4 students of color feel pressure to include information about their race in applications
  • 44% of respondents of color weren’t aware of Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision before taking survey
  • More than one-third of students of color say they aren’t receiving guidance from their school in light of the ruling
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