Jake Kraus
Jim Madrigal
Tobi Odusanya
Jaime Rizzie
RHET 105 F2
April 25, 2010
Race, Ethnicity, and Admissions at UIUC
Abstract
Our project investigates the diversity of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(UIUC) student body and the factors behind the ever changing minority population. Due to
changing demographics and racial equality, more and more minority students have become
academically competitive at the college level. Increased enrollment of minority students has
placed pressure on universities such as UIUC to create a more diverse atmosphere for its
students. Through interviews with UIUC Admissions Department staff as well as interviews
with international students, the authors draw conclusions to questions regarding UIUC’s
promotion of itself to students in foreign countries and to minority students. Conclusions
pertaining to other factors that also effect diversity at UIUC such as the school’s reputation as a
leading academic institution as well as a home to students from around the world are drawn.
Plan
Initially, our research encompassed all aspects of the admissions process at UIUC on a
much broader scale. Originally the plan was to investigate financial aid, scholarships, grant
money, the development of diversity at UIUC over the past fifty years, race and ethnicity as an
admissions factor, the Big Ten conference as a comparison factor in diversity, the effect of
imbalance in the K-12 levels, and the question of ideal demographics at UIUC. After initial
research and analyzing our options, it became clear that this set of topics was much too broad
and needed to be narrowed down. The decision was made to refocus the research in order to
have a more specific topic and thorough analysis. We decided to devote our research primarily
toward race and ethnicity as an admissions factor, the Big Ten conference as a comparison factor
in diversity, and the question of ideal demographics at UIUC. The other aspects of our initial
topic have gone into our possibilities for further research.
Initial Assumptions
At the start of our research, assumptions stemmed from our own personal experiences
and observations of students on campus. Our most significant assumption was that the
Admissions Department at UIUC has an ideal composition for each incoming freshman class.
Based on the desired distribution of minority students, it was assumed that some minority
students may have an edge when being admitted into the university purely because of their
racial/ethnic background. Non-minority students may have their test scores overlooked at the
time of admissions because of their race. From the information presented by the University such
as statistics on the admissions homepage, we came to believe that the student body at UIUC truly
is diverse and contains students from numerous countries around the world. Due to the higher
base tuition and fees for international students, we assume that the University of Illinois has a
higher monetary incentive to pursue these students. When comparing all of the Big Ten schools,
including UIUC, the demographics would all be expected to be relatively close. However, when
looking deeper, it could be assumed that Illinois would have a larger international population due
to its world-ranked engineering school.
Methods
The purpose of our research is to explore the correlation between race and ethnicity and
admissions at UIUC. The significance of race and ethnicity in impacting the decisions of the
Admissions Department will be explored. In order to draw conclusions from our research, we
will interview staff from the Admissions Department at UIUC in order to gain inside information
on the process of admitting students to the University. These interviews will assist us with
analyzing the trends of statistical data gathered from our sources and can help us prove/disprove
initial assumptions. These interviews will be able to test the assumptions that pertain to the
admissions process based on our own experiences. We will also interview international students
from various countries that members of our group have previously met in classes or from the
dorms. Through interviews, insight into the personal experiences of international students with
the admissions process at the University of Illinois will be gained, which can then be compared
to experiences of our own being in-state students. The interview will ask how these students
were introduced to the university and to what extent, if any, the university pursued them. The
answers received will allow us the opportunity to analyze how UIUC advertises itself abroad to
pull in foreign exchange students. The interview results will show how UIUC itself promotes
diversity within the student population, if in fact it does.
We will examine how the diversity claims made by the University of Illinois compare to
other Big Ten Universities by looking at the international and minority student statistics of each
school. The statistics of the student population of each university will be taken from their own
school websites. Another point that will be reviewed is how UIUC uses diversity and claims as a
tool to attract international and minority students. Our ultimate purpose for this research is to
discover if the University of Illinois truly lives up to its self-proclaimed image of being a
frontrunner of diversity on the collegiate level of education.
Significance
We believe that race and ethnicity in the admissions process is a highly relevant topic to
college students, because we feel that the fairness and equality of the admissions process may be
altered based on the race of a student. A student’s academic ability, work ethic, and integrity
should be the top priority when admitting them to a university. If any candidate is academically
sound, race and ethnicity should not be the primary determining factor in his/her admittance
Stats
In our initial assumptions, we presumed that all of the Big Ten Universities had similar
demographics. However, because of the extent to which the University of Illinois displays its
diversity, as well as its highly esteemed engineering program, we believed that UIUC would
have an even greater amount of international and minority students when compared to the other
Big Ten schools. Our assumptions proved to be accurate after investigating international and
minority undergraduate student statistics for each of the Big Ten Universities and comparing
them to UIUC.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a relatively large undergraduate
minority population of 26.5%. This percentage is slightly higher than other Big Ten schools
similar in size. The majority of the other Big Ten schools had a minority population of less than
20%. The University of Michigan, with an undergraduate minority population of 22%, was the
only other Big Ten University aside from UIUC to have an undergrad minority population
greater than 20%. The remaining schools making up the Big Ten had undergraduate minority
populations between 10% and 20%. International students make up 10.2% of the total
undergraduate population at UIUC. This total lies above the average percent of international
undergrad students for schools in the Big Ten. The majority of the Big Ten international
populations fell between 4% and 10%. The statistics can be seen in the following table.
Michigan
University:
State
University of
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
University
Minnesota
University
17.8%
15%
14%
14%
13%
10%
7%
6.5%
4%
7%
University
Percent
Minority
Percent
International
*These percentages consist only of undergraduate students at each university
University:
University of
University of
University of
University of
Indiana
Illinois
Michigan
Iowa
Wisconsin
University
26.5%
22%
10.3%
11%
11%
10.2%
6%
8%
8%
10%
Percent
Minority
Percent
International
We are using percentages because all of the Big Ten Universities have similarly large
undergraduate populations. We did not include Northwestern University in our totals and
conclusions because it has an overall population that is much less than the average population of
Big Ten universities. This information on the tables leads us to the conclusion that the
University of Illinois does indeed have the largest percentage of undergraduate minority
population among the Big Ten Universities.
Based on the statistical comparisons of undergraduate international populations between
Big Ten universities, it is clear that UIUC is a front-runner in diversity, which proves our initial
assumption correct. Furthermore, we discovered that the University of Illinois strongly displays
their diversity to the public. UIUC was the only University of all the Big Ten schools to openly
display the minority and international student statistics on their admissions home page. Other
Big Ten schools did have the information on their web pages as well, however it was not as
accessible and easy to find as that of UIUC.
Screen Shot of UIUC admissions homepage: http://admissions.illinois.edu/
Finally, we investigated if the esteemed engineering program at UIUC does indeed attract
international students. For this 2009-2010 school year alone, 19% of the freshman class were
admitted into the college of engineering. We found that 30% of the undergraduate engineering
students are international and that 18% are minorities. These trends indicate that the college of
engineering at UIUC attracts international students and plays a factor in the overall demographic
make-up of the University. This is important because it verifies that engineering plays a definite
role in diversity at UIUC. The tables below compares the total number of students enrolled in
each college at UIUC, as well as the percentage of minority and international students.
Agricultural,
Environmental,
& Consumer
Science
Applied
Health
Science
Business
Education
Engineering
Law
2,852
2,096
3,905
1,449
8,094
707
Percent
Minority:
14.8%
26%
25.2%
22.9%
18.3%
20%
International:
11%
3.8%
20%
11%
29.3%
16.4%
Colleges:
Total Students:
Fine &
Applied
Arts
Liberal
Arts &
Sciences
Media
General
Studies
Veterinary
Medicine
2,768
14,390
1,043
3,055
527
Percent
Minority:
18.4%
28.1%
24.2%
30.5%
6.6%
International:
13.2%
13%
7.3%
7%
6.1%
Colleges:
Total Students:
Recommendations
For those considering further research and analysis on deeper complexities of our topic,
here are some questions that we couldn’t answer within the confines of our research that are
incredibly important. How does affirmative action at a higher level of education point to an
imbalanced education system at the K-12 level and what can be done to eliminate the need for
affirmative action at the collegiate level? Does UIUC give grants, financial aid, or scholarship
money to minority and international students in order to draw them in to the University? How
has the diversity at UIUC changed over the past fifty years and what are the reasons for the
changes, if any?
Results
In order to gain first-hand insight into the admissions process at UIUC, our group
interviewed an Admissions Counselor from the UIUC Admissions and Records Office. The
main focus of the interview questions centered on the idea of race as an admissions factor,
diversity on campus, and ideal University demographics. The Admissions Counselor explained
the admissions process from his point of view and emphasized that all aspects of a candidate’s
application are looked at equally. The reason for a student’s admission into the University is not
based on solely one or two aspects of their application but rather, a compilation of every
component. Of course, academics are a large element that plays a role in admissions, however
aspects such as high school, family income, if the applicant is a first generation college student,
and community in which the applicant lives are also a large factor. The Admissions Counselor
informed us that although race is a factor when admitting a student, it is not the sole reason for
an admission and is looked at in conjunction with all of the previously mentioned factors. As far
as affirmative action goes, the counselor made it clear that some high schools offer more
opportunities and resources than others. This being said, the admissions department will judge
an applicant’s performance based off of the means available to the applicant. Regardless of the
high school attended and assuming test scores are acceptable, only students with obvious
potential for success in college will be accepted into UIUC. For example, two students apply to
UIUC and one has a higher GPA and ACT scores than the other. One student attends a suburban
high school with many AP courses available. This student refuses to take challenging courses
and ends up with a very high GPA. This student is not very involved in their school and does not
possess any leadership qualities; however their GPA and ACT are both very high. The other
student attends a CPS school with no AP courses available but takes the most challenging
courses their school has to offer. Their GPA and ACT are both lower, but they are very involved
and show many leadership qualities. When comparing these two students, one looks much better
statistically, but that is not what the Admissions department is looking for. The CPS student
obviously has lower scores, but shows much more potential, so will probably be admitted over
the other student. An example such as this shows how higher test scores can sometimes be
overlooked for students who show more potential.
When asked about the benefits of having such a diverse campus, the counselor expressed
that with diversity comes many opportunities to interact with new and different people on a
larger scale than one may have had before. UIUC is much more diverse than any high school
and allows for broader focus, a unique experience, and a chance to meet others from various
cultures, religions, incomes, etc. When asked about the disadvantages of a largely diverse
campus, the counselor stated that students can always choose not to take advantage of the
diversity around them and can decide to associate with others from their own racial group. He
believes that not taking advantage of exploring the diversity on campus can limit the uniqueness
of a student’s college experience.
Another interview question focused on the idea of UIUC having ideal demographics and
set quotas for the students admitted into the University. The counselor informed us that there are
no requirements for the University to admit a certain number of students from specific
ethnicities/races or genders. Realistically, the demographics of each incoming class are based on
the applicant pool. For example, if 30% of the applicant pool consisted of minorities, it can be
expected that somewhere around 30% of the admitted students will also consist of minorities,
assuming that all applicants meet the basic admissions requirements. The Admissions Counselor
pointed out that each university would like to accept as many qualified in-state students as
possible. This explains why some universities have lower minority populations than others. For
example, the state of Iowa is not as diverse as the state of Illinois. Consequently, the University
of Iowa’s campus population will not be as diverse as that of UIUC. The final factor of
demographics involves the colleges at UIUC. As we stated earlier, the College of Engineering
attracts more international and minority students than any of the other ten colleges at UIUC. The
Admissions Counselor reinforced the statement that certain programs do indeed attract more
international and minority students that do other programs.
The final question brought up during the interview pertained to promotion of UIUC
overseas. The Admissions Counselor shared that China, Korea, and India are the top three
countries from which International students come. Because of the raw number of students from
these countries, UIUC is self-promoted and does not have to actively pursue students for these
three countries. However, other countries are underrepresented and have students that are
unfamiliar with UIUC. In these cases, Admissions Counselors from UIUC travel abroad to draw
in perspective students and encourage them to apply to the University. This promotion increases
the number of international students that apply to UIUC.
In addition to interviewing a professional, we also felt it would be beneficial to interview
international students in order to learn of their reasons for coming to UIUC and if diversity had a
role in their decisions. The questions asked to each of the three international students were:
1. How did you learn about UIUC?
2. What factors made UIUC a good choice for you over other colleges?
3. Did the diversity of UIUC factor into your decision?
The first international student was from South Africa. He learned about UIUC through
“googling” top rated engineering programs in the world. He found UIUC’s engineering program
to be at the top and a good match or him. The student also thought that living in the U.S. would
be a good experience. Diversity did not play a role in his decision, but rather academics and
location were the primary factors.
The second international student was from South Korea. She explained that she learned
of UIUC from some of her friends from back home. The student decided to choose UIUC
because it has a good engineering program, as well as string math and science programs. She
also said that she has many friends that go here which also affected her decision. The student
explained that she likes that there are a lot of other Korean students here.
The final international student was from India. He learned of UIUC through the internet
and also through members of his family. The student said that the main reason he decided to
attend UIUC was because he knew he would receive a first-class education. He explained that
diversity did not play a role in his decision to attend UIUC. The student is here solely to receive
an education, earn his degree, and return to India.
Based on the three interviews, we conclude that diversity was not a main factor in the
decisions of the international students to attend UIUC. As we stated earlier, countries such as
Korea have many students attending UIUC which draws in more international students from the
same country. The main factor that brought each student to UIUC was consistently the overall
education level and the esteemed engineering/math and science programs.
Conclusion
Overall, the results of the research and interviews were mixed. Our assumptions
pertaining to race playing a role in admissions were not completely correct. While race does
play a role in admissions, it will not be the deciding factor in a student’s admission. As far as
our Big Ten assumptions, it was correct to say that UIUC has the highest percentage of minority
and international students. When researching further, the assumption that the college of
engineering at UIUC attracts more international students than any other program proved to be
correct after analyzing the raw statistics and comparing them to each other. Through our
interview with the admissions counselor, it became clear that there are no ideal demographics for
the campus but instead, each incoming class is a reflection of its own personal applicant pool.
Bibliography
"About Michigan." University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
N.p., 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.admissions.umich.edu/about/>.
"Demographics-Information Summary." University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. N.p.,
2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.stateuniversity.com/universities/MN/Un iversity_of_Minnesota_
Twin_Cities.html>.
"Enrollment by Curriculum, Race, Sex, Residency." UIUC Student Enrollment.
N.p., 22032010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.dmi.illinois.edu/stuenr/index.asp#new>.
"Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity-West Lafayette Campus." Purdue University-Data Digest. 2010.
Web. 20 Apr. 2010. <http://www.purdue.edu/datadigest/pages/students/index.htm>.
"Fast Facts." Indiana University Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and
Multicultural Affairs. N.p., 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.indiana.edu/~dema/fastfacts.shtml>.
"Fast Facts." Northwestern University Office of Undergraduate Admissions . N.p.,
2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/freshman/facts/#background>.
"Minority and International Stuedents." University of Wisconsin-Madison. N.p.,
2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com/u/univwisc?q=minority+students&
hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1>.
"MSU Minority Enrollment." Michigan State University-Board of Trustees. N.p.,
2010. Web. 20 April 2010. <http://trustees.msu.edu/decisions -news/201002/minority-enrollment.html>.
Ohio State Student Profile." University Center for the Advancement of Teaching .
N.p., 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://ucat.osu.edu/read/teaching/who_students/who.html>.
"On-Campus Fall 2009 New Beginning Freshmen 10 -Day Profile."Management
Information. N.p., 2009. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.dmi.illinois.edu/stuenr/abstracts/fa09Freshman_ten.htm>.
"Penn State Fact Book." University Budget Office. N.p., 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.budget.psu.edu/FactBook/StudentDynamic/minorityenrolbyethni
city.aspx?YearCode=2009&FBPlusIndc=N>.
"Undergraduate Admissions." University of Iowa First-Year Student Profile. N.p.,
2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
<http://www.uiowa.edu/admissions/undergrad/whos-at-iowa/first-yearprofile.htm >.