<p>Rhg3rd - the breakdown by ethnicity is really interesting. UChicago’s Class of 2016 is 27.31% asian, 7.5% african american, and 12.5% hispanic. These numbers are all about 50% increases from the previous year.</p>
<p>I imagine that some of this is due to unexpected returns on yield - e.g. maybe a higher proportion of asians than anticipated accepted UChicago’s offer. Nevertheless, as Nondorf’s team continues to work out the kinks, it appears as if UChicago will seek to have pretty diverse classes - maybe around 20-25% asian, 10-15% african american, and 10-15% hispanic each year. </p>
<p>Overall, more than a dip in selectivity, I think this is a great trend. Frankly, UChicago used to be considerably less diverse than many of its peers, primarily because the school was just not that appealing for various minority groups. I’d imagine in the 90s, there was maybe a 10-15% asian population, maybe 5-10% hispanic, and very few african americans at all (maybe 3-4%?). </p>
<p>Now, one of the biggest benefits of becoming more appealing is a surge in interest from minority groups. This is an overall benefit for the university, and one that I think is worth the previous controversial changes (e.g. switching to the common app, playing more “big numbers” admissions, etc.).</p>