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Southwestern University was named the top university in Texas for the greatest economic diversity among its students, according to The New York Times Magazine College-Access Index. Southwestern was 21st among national liberal arts universities, and 28th in a list of the 286 “most-selective colleges in the country” as defined by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges. The list included both private and public universities across the U.S.
The College-Access Index, published Sept. 7 in the Education Issue of the magazine, measured economic diversity by analyzing the share of students receiving Pell Grants, which typically go to students from the bottom half of the income distribution. According to the magazine, the data show that over the past decade most schools have seen their number of these students decrease, while Southwestern has increased its share of Pell students by 10 percent, for a total of 34 percent.
“These data demonstrate that Southwestern University is a national leader in providing a selective education to all of our students,” said Southwestern President Laura Skandera Trombley. “Our standing as one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country and our status as the only Hispanic Serving Institution among the top 100 national liberal arts universities brings benefits to all of our students and serves as a model for the future.
According to the report, the data are particularly important in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to do away with race-based affirmative action and the decision by some schools to abandon or reduce legacy admissions.
Vice President for Strategic Recruitment and Enrollment Tom Delahunt said the ranking “affirms and validates our mission, vision and values as we strive to serve our current and future students and their families as they navigate their college journey.”
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