The Wall Street Journal released a 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking, which considers campus diversity when scoring schools.
The WSJ collaborated with research organizations College Pulse and Statistica to develop the ranking of WSJ/College Pulse 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. The ranking rates the "top" 400 universities in the country, with 10% of a school's overall score and placement "determined" by the diversity of faculty and students at each college, the WSJ reported.
The "diversity" category combines metrics about the "racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds of students and faculty" with the "experience of students on campus" via a survey given to students and graduates at each college.
The University of Houston-Downtown scored the highest in "diversity" with a score of 90, and Stanford University scored the fourth highest with a score of 77. Stanford University had the highest diversity score from "any school" in the top 20.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, the University of Houston-Downtown had a total enrollment of 14,105 students, according to University of Houston-Downtown quick facts. Of the student's enrollment, 57% were Hispanic, 18% were African American, 11% were white, 8% were Asian American, and 2% were international. Although more than half of the student population was recorded as one race, the WSJ scored the university high in "diversity".
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had 11,920 students enrolled in the 2023-2024 academic year. Of the students enrolled, 29.1% were international, 21% were Asian American, 9.6% were Hispanic, and 5% were African American, according to MIT Facts. MIT did not report the percentage of white students who attended the university in the 2023-2024 academic year; however, it is speculated to be less than 40%. The WSJ gave MIT a "diversity score" of 68.
According to the WSJ, the "diversity" category" rewards" colleges with "diverse student bodies," "regardless" of how it was achieved.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court struck down Affirmative Action, ruling that it is unconstitutional to consider race in college admissions. After the Supreme Court's ruling, colleges were scrambling to find new ways to keep "diversity" on campus. The diversity category is a "reward" to colleges that find a way to keep "diversity" on their campuses.