The University of Rochester is listed 28th on the New York Times’ “The Most Economically Diverse Top Colleges” list.
To achieve the rankings, the New York Times analyzed data for every college with a four-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent (in 2011-12), which resulted in 98 public and private institutions being on the list. Editors then created the College Access Index, a methodology “based on the share of freshmen in recent years who came from low-income families (measured by the share receiving a Pell grant) and on the net price of attendance for low- and middle-income families,” combined with a college’s endowment per student, which is a measure of the resources available to colleges.
According to David Leonhardt of the New York Times, “Over the last decade, dozens of colleges have proclaimed that recruiting a more economically diverse student body was a top priority. Many of those colleges have not matched their words with actions. But some have.”
“What’s appealing about this measurement compared to others is that it’s using only objective metrics to evaluate colleges’ success on something all of us agree has to be part of our mission—acting as engines of social mobility by giving people real chances to grow through education,” said Jonathan Burdick, vice provost and dean of College admission. “I’m very happy that Rochester’s commitment to the principle of attracting and graduating more low-income students has earned this recognition.”
Among the 27 AAU (Association of American Universities) institutions listed, Rochester is ninth.
To read the full article (subscription required), visit: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/09/upshot/09up-college-access-index.html
