The 25 Most Diverse Schools

Since its inception in 1831--with a student body of just 158 in its first semester--New York University in New York, New York, has grown to include more than 40,000 students, roughly 19,000 of who are undergraduates. That, and its location in a city of more than 8 million people, has landed it on NEWSWEEK's list of most desirable urban schools (No. 23) and most desirable large schools (No. 10).   
 
Internationally known for its ever-expanding Tisch School of the Arts, which offers BFAs in film and theatre, the school attracts a diverse population, landing it at No. 5 on NEWSWEEK's list.  It is also on NEWSWEEK's list of the best gay-friendly schools (No. 4). "When you think of diversity in college, NYU epitomizes the concept," writes one student on CollegeProwler.com, who gave the school an A+ in diversity. In the fall of 2009, the most recent year data was available, African-Americans made up 4 percent of the school, Hispanics 8 percent and Asian-Americans 19 percent, second only to whites at 44 percent. Nine percent of its students came from outside the U.S.  
 
Tuition at NYU was $38,765 in fall 2009. 

To rank colleges and universities by diversity, we took a broad view of related issues, including ethnicity, geographic origin,  economic status, gender,  and sexual orientation. Read more about our methodology here.