The 25 Most Diverse Schools

At Wesleyan, "difference is embraced and not just tolerated," says the University's president, Michael S. Roth. That may help explain why Wesleyan made the top ten on NEWSWEEK's list of most diverse schools. (It's Number 7.) At this private liberal arts college overlooking the Connecticut River, more than 25 percent of students are of color (7 percent African-American, 8 percent Hispanic, and 10 percent Asian). Ten percent of undergraduates hail from outside the U.S., and 12 percent receive Pell Grants, which are targeted toward students from low-income families. The Advocate and InsideCollege.com have also identified the Cardinals as particularly gay-friendly.  
 
With a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, Wesleyan offers its roughly 2,700 undergraduates a lot of individual attention. Students can choose from more than 900 courses offered in 40 departments and 47 major fields of study, as well as one-on-one tutorials and private music lessons. Along with Amherst and Williams, Wesleyan is part of the "Little Three," the small-liberal-arts-school version of the "Big Three" that consists of Harvard, Princeton and Yale.  
 
Tuition, fees, residential comprehensive fee, and estimated cost for books, supplies and miscellaneous expenses for 2009-2010 totaled $54,097 (plus a one-time $300 matriculation fee). Wesleyan admits U.S. citizens and permanent residents without knowledge of their financial circumstances; 44 percent of students received scholarship awards (averaging $31,800) in 2009-2010. 

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.