Like lots of teenagers, minority students frequently overlook schools that they assume cost too much or are too exclusive.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, however, has collected data over the past decade that strongly suggests that bright minority students should broaden their horizon.
The journal’s research documents that many of the nation’s most prestigious liberal arts schools warmly embrace black applicants. While the publication’s focus is exclusively on African Americans, there is no reason to believe that Hispanics, Native Americans and other underrepresented minorities aren’t treated the same way.
The journal compiled the following acceptance list that suggests that cracking an elite school isn’t nearly as hard for a smart African American as it is for most applicants. Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT, for instance, accepts 68% black applicants, but accepts only 21% of the overall applicant pool.
10-Year Black Acceptance Rate At Highly Ranked Liberal Arts College
- Middlebury College 68%
- Macalester College 65
- Carleton College 58%
- Oberlin College 57%
- Bowdoin College 56%
- Williams College 55%
- Amherst College 53%
- Colby College 53%
- Hamilton College 52%
- Trinity College 52%
- Mount Holyoke College 50%
- Pomona College 49%
Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution.