Most Diverse University in Washington

Seattle University ranks as the most economically diverse selective university (public or private) in Washington state, according to The New York Times publication of the College-Access Index, which lists the country’s most selective universities ranked in order of economic diversity. 

Among state universities and colleges, SU is leading among the schools to make the list—topping the rankings for both private and public institutions—that includes the University of Puget Sound, University of Washington, Gonzaga University and Whitman College.

For these rankings, the Times measured economic diversity by analyzing the share of Pell Grant students (recipients of this grant typically are students from the bottom half of income distribution.) The list covers 286 of the most-selective colleges in the country, as defined by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, among other metrics. According to the Times, the colleges and universities, public and private, together educate about 2.7 million undergraduates. 

“Studying these numbers is particularly important in the wake of two important developments this year in higher education: the Supreme Court’s decision to do away with race-based affirmative action and the decision by some schools to abandon or reduce legacy admissions” writes the Times. “Each put a new renewed focus on institutional efforts to consider wealth in making admissions decisions. This list shows us how schools are doing.”

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