Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article appeared shortly on The Sun’s website with an inaccurate depiction of enrollment statistics.
In the second year post-affirmative action, enrollment of Hispanic and Black first-year students increased from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2029. Enrollment for white and Asian first-year students decreased.
There are 3,827 students enrolled in the Class of 2029, marking the largest class in Cornell’s history and an 8.6 percent increase from the Class of 2028, which saw 3,525 first-years enrolled in Fall 2024.
Cornell’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning lists enrollment data categorized by race and ethnicity in five main groups: Asian or Asian-White (U.S.); Black, Hispanic, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and/or American Indian (U.S.); White (U.S.); Unknown (U.S.) and International. Data can be disaggregated by clicking a separate button on the site.
The percentage of first-year undergraduate students enrolled within the BHI category increased from 15.7 percent in Fall 2024 to 18 percent in Fall 2025.
While BHI enrollment increased from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2029, the proportions remain significantly lower than in previous years when affirmative action was utilized in the admissions process. 25.4 percent of students were classified as BHI in the Class of 2027 and 26.8 percent of students were classified as BHI in the Class of 2026 — the last two admissions cycles before the ban.
Broken down further, enrolled students who identified as Black increased from 4.3 percent to 4.8 percent from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2029. Notably, students identifying with two or more races/ethnicities, including Black and/or Indigenous, are counted separately and not reflected in the specific Black student enrollment total. This category also saw a slight increase from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2029.
Enrolled students who identified as Hispanic increased from 9.5 to 11.1 percent from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2029.
AAW first-year student enrollment slightly decreased this year from 33.5 percent in Fall 2024 to 33 percent in Fall 2025.
Similarly, first-year students within the white category decreased from 32.1 percent in Fall 2024 to 30 percent in Fall 2025. International students decreased from 10.1 percent to 9.7 percent of first-years, and the unknown category saw an increase from 8.7 percent to 9.3 percent.
Cornell updated its enrollment data on Oct. 21, at a time when fewer selective colleges are publishing demographic information for the Class of 2029. This follows the 2023 Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action and the federal government’s increased scrutiny of race-based admissions programs.
In Fall 2024, Cornell published a Q&A accompanying its “expected to enroll” data on Sept. 25. The data represented the first class of students after the ban on affirmative action. With the Q&A, the University outlined a new partnership with QuestBridge’s National College Match program, plans to establish more agreements with community colleges and an intention to provide more guidance and resources to prospective students earlier in high school.
At a town hall with top administrators and Black Students United in November 2024, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Pamela Tan explained more ways that the University is reaching out to applicants after the affirmative action ban. This included outreach to the National Education Equity Lab and other community-based organizations and to specific schools to ensure diversity in the admitted class.
In the admissions process, the Tan and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Lisa Nishii said they review responses to the identity-focused essay, students’ membership in affinity organizations and QuestBridge scholar status to target underrepresented student populations.
“I cannot undo centuries of inequities in one year,” Tan said at the meeting. “But the team and I are going to try.”
This fall, the “expected to enroll” data was updated on Sept. 26, but was not publicized in a University statement or Q&A.
The “expected to enroll” data reflects an “admissions data snapshot taken in late summer.” The figures released for the Class of 2029 were similar to the finalized enrollment data.
Emma Galgano is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at egalgano@cornellsun.com.
