Economic diversity is important to prospective students who want to know what the composition of the student body actually is on campus. To determine economic diversity, U.S. News looks at the percentage of enrolled undergraduate students receiving Pell grants at the highly ranked schools in their Best Colleges 2011 rankings category. Many experts believe that the percentage of students receiving Pell grants is the best available gauge of the proportion of low-income undergrads on a given campus. Pell grants are awarded from a federally funded program that gives need-based grants to low-income students and are most often given to undergrads with family incomes under $20,000.
Below are the lists of economic diversity at top schools, separated based on schools' Best Colleges 2011 rankings category:
National Liberal Arts Colleges
Regional Universities (Midwest)
See economic diversity among all schools.
View the main Best Colleges 2011 methodology.
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