Aftershock at Harvard?

From Inside Higher Ed: Early undergraduate applications to Harvard fell by 17 percent this fall, according to data shared by the university. Harvard’s early-action program drew 7,921 applicants this cycle, compared to 9,553 last year. It’s a marked decline amid a sea of rising troubles for the institution. 

Harvard came under fire earlier this month for President Claudine Gay’s responses during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. And this summer the university lost a landmark Supreme Court case on affirmative action, resulting in a nationwide ban on the practice.

The news also comes as early admissions policies are under renewed scrutiny; many critics believe they give priority to wealthy, white students. However, nationwide early applications increased from pre-pandemic levels by 38 percent this fall, according to preliminary Common App data provided to Inside Higher Ed.

Harvard admitted 692 students via early action, a little less than 9 percent of the pool. The university did not release the racial or demographic breakdown of those students, as it did last year.

Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/12/19/early-applications-harvard-drop-substantially.

It might be noted that early applications were due BEFORE the controversial Congressional hearing at which Harvard's President Gay testified, although Harvard in particular had been receiving negative PR on the same issues in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack.