The percentage of African Americans in the freshman class at Vanderbilt University increased 12.3 percent in the fall of 2007, placing Vanderbilt fourth among the highest-ranking universities in the United States, reported The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
“The progress at Vanderbilt University over the past decade has been extraordinary,” said The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education this month. “In 1995 only 4 percent of all freshmen at Vanderbilt were black. This year the figure is 10.3 percent.”
Of the highest-ranking universities selected by U.S. News & World Report, Vanderbilt ranks fourth in percentage of black freshman behind Columbia University, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, overall graduation rates have held steady.
“This is the result of a directed and purposeful approach to recruiting a diverse student body,” said Douglas Christiansen, associate provost for enrollment and dean of admissions at Vanderbilt.
“We set out to achieve this because it means our students benefit from a cross-section of backgrounds and outlooks, as does everyone on campus. This continuing exchange has been a factor in keeping graduation rates high.”
In the decade between 1997 and 2007 black freshman enrollment at Vanderbilt more than doubled, from 82 to 172.
Media Contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu