How Harvard Measures Up

Harvard students may be rolling in it, but is that Harvard’s fault? Some argue that social forces beyond the University’s control prevent Harvard from being anything but a bastion of wealth. But if that is true, then how do other highly selective colleges manage to attract more diverse student bodies? When they do that, do they sacrifice academic excellence? And on the other side of the spectrum, do some schools sacrifice economic diversity by admitting a large chunk of their class early, aiming for higher yields but in effect shutting out the relatively poorer regular pool?

A look at how other schools measure up, starting from the least economically diverse. Throughout, the percentage of Pell Grant recipients at each school—a widely used barometer for income diversity, since the federal grants are given to students whose families tend to make $40,000 a year or less—measures diversity.

Princeton:

7 percent students receive Pell grants; 11 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $10,900

Selectivity:

SAT 1380-1550

Percent of class accepted early: 37 percent

Drawing Them In:

Princeton more than any other institution on this list has been charged with excluding low-income students. But three years ago the school made a high-profile move to promise away debt for all graduates. In response, says Princeton’s financial aid director Don Betterton, socioeconomic diversity increased “substantially,” but Betterton would not say by how much, and Princeton remains at the bottom of the Ivy League in Pell numbers.

Harvard:

9 percent students receive Pell Grants; 11 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $10,465

Selectivity:

SAT- 1400-1580

Percent of class accepted early: 63 percent

Drawing Them In:

Harvard gives preference in admissions to students from low-income backgrounds, and aims to recruit high-performing students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds by sending search letters, visiting high schools and paying for admitted students’ campus visits. But while the admissions office supports a Minority Recruitment Program, it has no parallel program for low-income recruitment.

Yale:

10 percent students receive Pell Grants; 13 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $19.228

Selectivity:

SAT 1370-1560

Percent of class accepted early: 42 percent

Drawing Them In:

Like Harvard, Yale’s institutional frameworks for recruitment focus on racial diversity. A “multicultural recruitment program” is chaired by two staffers dedicated to developing plans for building a diverse student body. But another offer is aimed specifically at lower-income students: before they are even admitted, Yale will pay for a select group of students to visit the campus.

Columbia:

15 percent students receive Pell Grants; 12 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $15,331

Selectivity:

SAT: 1320-1510

Percent of class accepted early: 43 percent

Drawing Them In:

Since 1969, New York has funded a state-wide program that aims to make private New York universities accessible to low-income residents. From the start, Columbia University participated. In 1986, the university decided to expand those opportunities nationally. The National Opportunity Program is open only to students from poor backgrounds. A mandatory pre-college immersion portion eases the transition to freshman year.

Amherst:

16 percent students receive Pell Grants; 18 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $11,544

Selctivity:

SAT 1310-1540

Percent of class accepted early: 32 percent

Drawing Them In:

Five years ago, Amherst revamped its financial aid options in a pitch to attract a more socioeconomically diverse pool of applicants. After noting the psychological power of promising away debts, the college eliminated loans for low-income students. Amherst also tries to attract that bracket by offering two “opportunity weekends,” or paid visits for about 200 admitted students who couldn’t otherwise afford to make the trip.

Cooper Union:

17 percent students receive Pell Grants; 14 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $9,255

Selectivity

SAT 1310-1500

Percent of class accepted early: 24 percent

Drawing Them In:

Cooper Union, a small liberal arts school in New York City, is famous for its generous giving. All students who matriculate at Cooper are guaranteed full financial aid, regardless of need. Students still have some work contribution or take out some loans, but the widely advertised deal does manage to attract a diverse student body.

UCLA:

35 percent students receive Pell Grants; 24 percent acceptance rate

Average graduating debt: $12,775

Selectivity

SAT 1140-1390

Percent class accepted early: UCLA does not offer an early admissions option.

Drawing Them In:

UCLA stands at the top of selective universities in terms of its socioeconomic diversity. The school’s lack of any early applicant pool may have some effect. According to Brian Fitzgerald, director of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance at the U.S. Department of Education, early-admissions programs diminish socioeconomic diversity. “The majority of students applying in the early process are full-pays or close to it,” Fitzgerald says. So if early applicants are given a leg up, economic diversity can suffer.