Black Freshman Enrollment Passes White in Texas

Black freshmen became the second-largest in-state freshman group at the university in 2025, behind Hispanic students.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in College Applications

Black Freshman Enrollment Passes White in Texas

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The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reported 1,602 Black freshmen enrolled at the university in 2025, compared with 1,462 white freshmen. Black enrollment surpassed white enrollment for the first time between 2017 and 2025.

Why it matters

The shift marks a change in the university's demographic makeup, as white students had been the majority demographic group from 2017 until 2022. It reflects broader population change across Texas, where the Hispanic population became the largest racial group in 2022.

Enrollment counts come from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which reported 2,079 Hispanic freshmen in 2025 as the largest group. The data does not explain what drove the year-over-year change between Black and white freshman totals.

The players

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

The state agency that coordinates higher education policy and publishes enrollment data for Texas public colleges and universities.

The details

In 2025, Black freshmen numbered 1,602, outpacing 1,462 white freshmen, while Hispanic freshmen totaled 2,079. Taylor Cox, director of advocacy and advancement at the university's Black Student Union, is quoted on the trend, and Student Government Association president Daria Smith and vice president Esther Olumuyiwa were elected in Spring 2026.

2017: White students became the majority demographic group at the university.
2022: Hispanic enrollment increased, and the Hispanic population became Texas's largest racial group.
2024: White freshmen were the second-largest group with 1,756 students.
2025: Black freshmen became the second-largest in-state freshman demographic group.
Spring 2026: Daria Smith and Esther Olumuyiwa were elected Student Government Association president and vice president.

Texas Context

The shift follows the U.S. Census Bureau finding that Hispanic residents became Texas's largest racial group in 2022. The Black population in Texas has not surpassed the White population, so this campus change is a local enrollment pattern rather than a statewide one.

Prospective Texas students comparing campuses can use state-reported enrollment counts by demographic group to see how a university's student body is changing. Families weighing schools may find these figures useful when researching campus communities.

The takeaway

Enrollment data can reveal how a campus's makeup is shifting over time, which is useful to students comparing schools. Checking official state figures alongside campus tours gives a clearer picture of the student community.