For the second year in a row, Donnelly College has been named the most diverse college in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News & World Report annually ranks colleges and universities on campus ethnic diversity. Donnelly attained a diversity index of 0.71. The closer the number is to 1, the more diverse the student population is.
Donnelly’s classification reflects the college’s status as the region’s only federally-designated Minority-Serving Institution and Hispanic-Serving Institution. The diversity found at Donnelly represents the institution’s commitment to serving the urban core since its founding in 1949.
“We are very happy to receive again this national recognition highlighting one of our strongest assets – our diverse student body,” stated Donnelly College President Monsignor Stuart Swetland. “Students come to Donnelly for many reasons – our affordability, our urban location, our nurturing campus environment, and especially our academic programs. However, decade after decade, students tell us that student diversity is a top factor that helps them find success here.
It is rare to find a college that has a majority of minority students, especially in this region. As a Catholic College, we believe in the innate dignity and worth of each person, and that is something we strive to make tangible to our students each day in their campus experience. We know our students find comfort, security and confidence in that.”
U.S. News & World Report uses data drawn from each college’s 2017 fall semester to indicate the proportion of minority students, excluding international students.
For the 2016-2017 academic year, Donnelly’s student body was 83 percent students of color, representing 36 countries of birth (36 percent Hispanic, 33 percent African-American, 17 percent Caucasian, six percent Two or more races, five percent Other and three percent Asian). Most recently, the 2018 graduating class consisted of 81 percent students of color and included 75 percent first-generation college students.
Of the top ten most diverse colleges in the Midwest, six institutions are in the state of Kansas. The full list can be found here.
As a small, private Catholic college, Donnelly has not always registered in national or regional rankings. However, for the last five years, Donnelly has also made another important ranking – the U.S. Department of Education’s Top 100 lists for most affordable private, not-for-profit four-year colleges, according to the College Affordability and Transparency Center. View reports here.
Note: Although U.S. News & World Report recognizes Donnelly as the most diverse college in the Midwest, Donnelly is not included in U.S. News & World Report’s overall higher education rankings because Donnelly maintains an open admissions policy to ensure that all students can access higher education. Use of ACT and/or SAT scores in admissions decisions is a key criterion for inclusion in U.S. New & World Report’s overall rankings, as well as other national and regional rankings and lists. Since Donnelly College does not require the ACT or SAT for admission, the institution is not included in the overall ranking of colleges and universities in the Midwest or nationally.