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UH, known for being the second most diverse school in the nation for many years, is now much further down the U.S. News Campus Ethnic Diversity list despite the University’s improving diversity within enrollment over the years.
UH is located in the most diverse city in the country and although the school is still in the top ten, new data shows how the University’s ranking has plummeted to eighth place for Campus Ethnic Diversity in the national category, tied with seven other schools.
The difference of demographics from Fall 2015 to the most recent data in Fall 2020 for African Americans went from 10 percent to 10.2 percent, Asian Americans from 20.6 percent to 21.6 percent, Hispanics from 27.5 percent to 33.2 percent and whites from 27.6 percent to 23 percent.
There are many factors that play into these rankings. The UH Center for Diversity and Inclusion claims this downfall has to do with how other schools’ demographics are shifting.
“I would argue that UH falling in this particular ranking has much less to do with what UH is or is not doing, but rather the criterion by which institutions are ranked and the changing demographics at other institutions,” said CDI director Varselles Cummings. “UH enrollment has increased as well as the numbers for Black, Hispanic (and) Asian student populations on campus.”
