To be honest, New England LACs are not racially and ethnically diverse. Many individuals in the majority consider them “diverse” compared to their neighborhood or high school environments, but if you are a person of color you will be in the minority. Of course, that degree depends on which racial or ethnic group you are in. These colleges are all at least 50% white. Some NE LACs (like Amherst and Wesleyan) are better, but the numbers don’t lie.
Here is the breakdown of racial and ethnic groups at Vassar and Hamilton. (Data is pulled from each college’s recent Common Data Set)
Vassar / Hamilton
Nonresident Aliens: 8% / 7%
Hispanic, Latino: 11% / 10%
Black, African American: 4% / 4%
White: 55% / 65%
Asian: 13% / 8%
Native Haw, API: 0% / 0%
Native American: 0% / <1%
Two or more races: 8% / 6%
As I mentioned, we are African American. When we looked at schools for D20 and S23, we were not only looking at numbers–we were also looking at the experiences of students of color (particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino) at those colleges. Just because a university has a high number of students of color, does not mean they are integrated into the community and experience the same success with their social life, diverse groups of friends, leadership positions, internship assistance, research opportunities, etc. D20 has a diverse group of friends, a great social life, and plenty of opportunities. So although the number of Black students is low (it was higher when she applied), she is thriving.
We didn’t look at Vassar, so I can’t comment on international students or students of color there. However, I would strongly urge you to reach out to international students/student groups on campus to get their take on student life for international students. I often chuckle when posters in the majority express how “diverse” and “welcoming” a campus is for all students, yet they are obviously coming from a VERY different perspective. While I appreciate CC, I honestly don’t think people who are not from that background can say how it will be for those students. After all, they are not walking their daily existence on that campus. This is what we did for both D20 and S23.
Best of luck. They are both fabulous choices.