UNLV Photo Services
This file photo shows a view of the UNLV campus.
Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 | 9:10 p.m.
UNLV continues to be ranked near the top of U.S. News & World Report’s annual listing of the nation’s most diverse campuses.
In an examination of the student body at 389 universities, UNLV’s diversity score was tied for second-best along with Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich., and behind the University of Hawaii. The listing, based on 2019 enrollment, was released Monday.
The formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0 to 1. The closer a school’s number is to 1, the more diverse the student population. UNLV’s score was 0.76; Hawaii came in at 0.77.
“UNLV’s status as one of the most diverse research campuses in the nation strengthens our ability to provide a quality learning environment for our students,” UNLV President Keith Whitfield said in a statement. “Our diversity serves as a driver for opportunity as it brings multiple perspectives to classroom discussions and activities in research labs, and it impacts how we think about policies that govern our scholarly community.”
UNLV is consistently near the top of the report’s annual rankings on diversity. Of its enrollment of 25,830 students in the fall of 2019, 8,015 (31%) were Latino and 4,278 (16%) were Asian. Ten percent of the enrollment was multiracial, and 8% (2,056) were Black. White students accounted for 28% percent, or 7,448, students.
UNLV was designated by the Department of Education as a minority serving institution in 2012 because of its heavy minority enrollment. As part of the designation, the federal government provides financial support through various titles of the Higher Education Act.
U.S. News rankings serve as a guide for students and parents to compare academic quality of schools, and give applicants information to consider when selecting a college.
“I am incredibly proud that UNLV, again, is ranked as one the most diverse universities in the nation,” said Melody Rose, the chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, in a statement. “NSHE remains steadfastly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. These values are at the core of who we are. Our diversity makes us stronger and enriches the education experience that all of our institutions provide.”
