Say it with me, I love attending a diverse college. My childhood was spent surrounded by people I never truly related to. Yeah, I made friends but the connections were so surface level. Since going to college I’ve met so many unique people along with people who finally understand me. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone! Many people get their first taste of diversity in college and campuses across the country are becoming even more diverse. Keep reading to explore 7 facts about diversity in colleges and universities.
1. There Is A Positive Correlation Between Attending A Diverse University And Earning A Higher Income
I’m starting off with this fact because it caught my attention and I’m sure it’s caught yours too! As a college student of course you’re thinking about your future and that definitely includes wondering about income.
Here’s what you need to know, a study conducted by Barbara Wolf and Jason Fletcher found that graduates of diverse universities can earn 5% more income than graduates of less diverse institutions.
This could be because exposure to diversity increased the job candidate’s social skills making them an appealing applicant. Another explanation might be related to companies with global reach offering hiring salaries to graduates with an understanding of diversity. Regardless of what causes this positive correlation, it’s a powerful fact in favor of keeping campuses diverse.
2. Private, Non-Profit, Four-Year Universities Are The Least Diverse Institution
Following up the previous fun fact with a harsh truth. Schools like Columbia, John Hopkins, and NYU fall under the category of private, non-profit, four-year universities. Yes, these colleges are known for their low acceptance rates and high academic performance, but that’s not all that matters. The lack of diversity on these campuses must be addressed. For many years, affirmative action legislation helped enforce diversity efforts at places of higher education. Recent legislative changes have removed racial background from enrollment considerations. Therefore, racial diversity could decrease even further at private, non-profit, four-year universities.
3. Diversity In Student Population Continues To Increase
Luckily, despite some universities lagging behind, diversity is steadily increasing on college campuses! Of the 15 million undergraduate students enrolled in college during the 2023 academic year, 40.5% of them were Hispanic/Latino. Additionally, the rate of Asian and Pacific Islander students has increased from 2.4% in 1980 to 8% in 2020. Beyond racial diversity, there are also evident increases in the amount of females enrolling in college as well as graduating. For example, in 2022, 6.1 million men were enrolled in college compared to 8.3 million women.
Lastly, since 2020, over 1 million students were active members of the military or veterans. As you can see, more Americans are attending college than ever before! Many people are doing so as first-generation college students meaning their parents did not attend university.
4. Recently, More Women Have Graduated From College Than Men
Since 1979, women have outnumbered men in college. This recurring trend comes as a surprise as women continue to receive lower wages in the workforce despite, often, being more educated than their male counterparts. When looking past undergraduate education, it is also noted that women earn more master’s degrees and doctoral degrees than men. In coming years, it would be amazing to see these educated women receive more employment opportunities and increased wages.
5. Male Professors Continue To Outnumber Female Professors
To add on, in the education field, male professors routinely outnumber female professors. You would think that the more educated gender would correlate to more collegiate teaching careers. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Diversity in the classroom is trailing behind the actual increased diversity of student populations. Specifically, in 2022, 34% of university faculty members were White males, and 32% were White females. As researchers looked at lower academic rankings, they found more women occupying the classrooms. As a result, women remain the dominant gender for grade school professionals.
6. Black Students Are Less Likely To Dropout When Learning From Black Professors
We’ve all heard the saying, “representation matters,” and here’s some proof! Statistics have proven that there is a correlation between Black students having academic success when learning from Black professors. A respected diversity and education expert, Leslie T. Fenwick, along with Howard University President, H. Patrick Swygert found data to support this claim. The data concludes, Black students with professors of their same-race record better test scores than students instructed by faculty of a different race. The reason for this correlation is unknown but the impact is substantial. As more minority students enroll in college, there should be more minority faculty members teaching at the collegiate level.
7. More Students Are Identifying As Members Of The LGBTQ+ Community
Diversity encompasses race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality, among many more characteristics. Now that I’ve provided interesting facts regarding race and gender let’s look at how the LGBTQ+ community is represented. Research suggests that more students are identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community than ever before.
One 2019 study sampled 182,000 students and resulted in 0.9% of undergraduates identifying as nonbinary or genderqueer. Additionally, 0.4% of these students identified as trans. Although these numbers seem small, it is not a reflection of the millions of college students enrolled during 2023. Ultimately, it is unclear if more LGBTQ+ students are enrolling in university or just becoming more comfortable identifying their sexuality.
Overall, it is undeniable that colleges in the United States are becoming more diverse. This trend is evident through multiple characteristics of diversity over the decades. Hopefully the changes in student population will lead to more diverse faculty hiring practices. For more information, the statistics I referenced can all be found here. Please also leave a comment about which fact you found most surprising. If you want to learn more about navigating college, check out my other related posts!
