The Best Colleges for Underrepresented Students: How to Find Them
Written By: Jennifer King Logan
Published: 7/27/2022
Every prospective college student has a lot to think about when choosing the best college to attend. Programs, cost, culture, location, and size are all important factors. Some students want a campus community that's familiar and comfortable, while others want something radically different from what they've already experienced.
Students from historically underrepresented communities have another layer of considerations to address, experts say. Whether they're attending school on campus or online, they need to feel safe, accepted, and valued 鈥� but often don't. Identifying those colleges where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are tangible attributes, and not just marketing buzzwords takes a little extra legwork.
Our college guides for Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented student groups offer additional tips and information from multicultural officers at a number of diverse colleges.
Written By: Jennifer King Logan
Published: 7/27/2022
Every prospective college student has a lot to think about when choosing the best college to attend. Programs, cost, culture, location, and size are all important factors. Some students want a campus community that's familiar and comfortable, while others want something radically different from what they've already experienced.
Students from historically underrepresented communities have another layer of considerations to address, experts say. Whether they're attending school on campus or online, they need to feel safe, accepted, and valued 鈥� but often don't. Identifying those colleges where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are tangible attributes, and not just marketing buzzwords takes a little extra legwork.
Our college guides for Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented student groups offer additional tips and information from multicultural officers at a number of diverse colleges.
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Why DEI Is Important On College Campuses
In recent years, virtually everyone involved in higher education has come to recognize the need to create more inclusive learning environments at universities, community colleges, and vocational and technical schools alike. Perhaps the most important motivator behind this drive is the diversity of today's college students.
A report on research spearheaded by of the best LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities, as well as schools at the opposite end of the spectrum. A few schools that have topped Campus Pride's recent lists include Ithaca College (NY), Rutgers (NJ), Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, Purdue University (IN), MIT (MA), Northern Kentucky University, and the University of Washington.
Diversity On College Campuses
Largely motivated by students themselves, most colleges and universities are responding to the demand for greater equity and inclusivity. It's an evolutionary process, and so far some schools have been more successful than others at implementing effective initiatives.
Nevertheless, from modifying hiring practices to re-examining course syllabi to clamping down on discriminatory behavior, many schools are actively trying to right the wrongs of past injustice. One way students from underrepresented groups and their allies can continue to push for change is by enrolling in those schools that have made DEI a visible priority.