DePauw Among Nation's Most Economically Diverse Colleges: NY Times

September 9, 2014

A New York Times analysis of American higher education finds that DePauw University is among the nation's most economically diverse colleges.

For the report by David Leonhardt, which appears in today's editions, the Times "analyzed data for every college with a four-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent. We combined data on enrollment and tuition costs to measure how hard each college is trying to attract and graduate poor and middle-class students. The result is our College Access Index."

The analysis found that 21 percent of DePauw students received Pell grants between 2012-14, up 5% from 2008 and that the endowment per student was $210,000.  DePauw's College Access Index score was 1.2, the same as M.I.T, Wellesley, Wheaton, Occidental and Haverford (see full list here).

Leonhardt writes, "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. These colleges have changed policies and made compromises elsewhere to recruit the kind of talented poor students who have traditionally excelled in high school but not gone to top colleges. A surprising number of such students never graduate from any college."

He adds, "This education gap is a problem not only for the teenagers on the wrong end of it. It’s a problem for the American economy. The economic differences between college graduates and everyone else have reached record levels. Yet for many low-income children – even many who get A’s in high school and do well on the SAT – college remains out of reach. No wonder that upward mobility is less common in the United States than in many other rich countries."

Access the complete article at the newspaper's website.

DePauw's showing in the report is also noted by Bloomington, Indiana NPR affiliate WFIU.

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