The 25 Most Diverse Schools

Adding to numerous accolades since its founding in 1838, NEWSWEEK counts Duke University as the 22nd most desirable school in the country and the ninth most desirable urban school. NEWSWEEK also ranks Duke among its brainiac schools, at No. 14--its students averaged a 34 on the ACT and a 1540 on the SAT and 90 percent come from the top 10 percent of their high-school class.  
 
With African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians accounting for nearly 40 percent of its student body and an appearance on The Advocate's gay-friendly list, Duke takes eighth place among the most diverse schools in the nation and 17th among the best gay-friendly schools. Counting billionaires, Fortune 100 CEOs and high-ranking politicians among its alumni ranks makes Duke the seventh best school for future power brokers.
 
Located in Durham, North Carolina, about half of its 14,000-strong student body is comprised of undergraduates, and the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1.
 
Tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year was nearly $39,000, a nearly 4 percent increase from the previous year, and only about 22 percent of applicants are admitted.

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.