The percentage of students receiving Pell Grants at selective schools ranges from 8% at schools such as Bates College, Tulane University in New Orleans, Fairfield University in Connecticut, and Oberlin College in Ohio to 94% at Berea College, a tuition-free private school in Kentucky. The Maine colleges have not ended their legacy admissions policies but said they will continue to build a diverse student body. Some, including Wesleyan University in Connecticut, have ditched legacy admissions. Department of Education against Harvard, claiming its practice of legacy admissions – considering an applicant’s relationship to alumni when evaluating an application – disadvantages applicants of color and boosts already privileged applicants by giving a leg up to those whose family members had the opportunity to attend elite schools a generation before.Įducation leaders around the country said they would put a heavier focus on wealth as a way to continue to build diverse classes. In July, the Greater Boston Latino Network and other advocacy groups filed a complaint with the U.S. In the wake of the landmark decision, advocacy groups have put pressure on schools to maintain diversity. Supreme Court overturned affirmative action, declaring that race can not be considered in college admissions, removing a tool the schools have long used to increase diversity. Over the past few months, the pressure to continue that has mounted. Representatives for Colby declined to answer questions, including whether the college believes the ranking is fair and what it says about the school but noted that Colby had the highest rate of Pell Grant growth between the among 135 schools, many of which were included in the New York Times research.įor decades, schools in Maine and around the country have vowed, and in many cases succeeded, to increase both racial and economic diversity as a way to reverse decades of systemic racism and opportunity gaps. They also said other metrics should be considered when gauging economic diversity, including the percentages of first-generation students, middle-income students, and students who receive any financial aid, as well as what support colleges provide for students with high financial need.īoth schools also said they are committed to attracting more Pell-eligible students and students with high financial need, that they are known for providing generous financial aid, and that the 2020-21 data is dated and their Pell enrollment has increased since then. The colleges said that while looking at Pell Grants is important, it ignores those with significant financial needs who do not qualify for Pell Grants.

“The average percentages reported by the Times represent a snapshot of one way to measure economic diversity,” Bowdoin spokesperson Doug Cook said.

Nytimes news quiz learning network