New ranking reveals Illinois' most economically diverse colleges

Lake Forest College is one of the most economically diverse colleges in the country, according to a new analysis from the New York Times Magazine.

Why it matters: The data offers a glimpse into universities' commitment to economic diversity as many schools reevaluate admissions after the Supreme Court ruled against race-based affirmative action, which supporters believe promoted economic diversity.

How it works: The Times ranked more than 250 universities across the country, including 10 in Illinois, by the proportion of their students who come from economically disadvantaged households.

• The rankings are based on the percentage of freshmen who received federal Pell Grants, which are made available to low-income families.

Between the lines: A Pell Grant is not like a loan in that it doesn't have to be repaid, except under certain circumstances.

By the numbers: Lake Forest College — a small, private north suburban school — is the highest-ranked Illinois college at No. 13, with 40% of the freshmen receiving Pell Grants in the 2020-21 school year.

• Yes, but: The school's Pell share fell 2 percentage points over the past decade.
• Knox College in Galesburg was the next Illinois school on the list, with 35% of its incoming students receiving assistance. That's up 8 percentage points from 2011.
• The highly selective University of Chicago in Hyde Park is ranked 230. Its Pell share: 14%, down 1 point.

Here's where other schools stood:

• Northwestern University: 20%, up 5.
• Loyola University Chicago: 22%, down 7.
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: 26%, up 5.

Context: Across the country, some schools with the least economic diversity worried that they would have to lower admission standards to allow more low-income students, the Times reported. But when they looked at the numbers, that wasn't the case.

• "There were plenty of low-income kids with high scores that we hadn't been admitting," Holden Thorp, a former provost at Washington University in St. Louis, said.

What they're saying: Lake Forest College president Jill M. Baren tells Axios in a statement that the ranking "shines a light on our continued commitment to widening the path to the liberal arts to all students."

• "Our community is diverse in many ways, and this creates a dynamic academic learning environment."