Harvard and other ‘Ivy Plus’ colleges are failing low-income students, Goldman Sachs says—but underfunded HBCUs don't

A student dressed in a cap and gown smiles during his college graduation. (Credit: Paras Griffin—Getty Images)

After months of debate, the Supreme Court recently ruled that race-based admissions were unconstitutional, effectively ending affirmative action. Set against the backdrop of Harvard, one of the world’s most prestigious universities and the country’s oldest private college, the years-long saga of the case highlighted the American education system’s troubling lack of diversity, often exacerbated by long-standing legacy admissions. 

Harvard itself became a sort of case study—or pariah, depending on who you ask—for the inequalities of American education. In recent weeks, Harvard has been hit with a lawsuit and a state-wide bill in Massachusetts, both aimed at curbing the school’s legacy admissions.