University’s Largest Student Body Is Also Its Most Diverse

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The largest student enrollment in University of Arkansas history showed an increase in numbers for every racial and ethnic category, with total minority enrollment of 3,313 students, or 15.5 percent of the student body. This is a 16.6 percent increase over fall 2009, when 2,841 minority students were enrolled, and made up 14.3 percent of the total student population.

“I am happy to see that our numbers of underrepresented students are growing,” said Charles Robinson, vice provost for diversity. “This success reflects the efforts of students, faculty and staff who work hard throughout the year to make our campus a more diverse and inclusive one. I am very grateful for their dedication to this cause.”

In early 2009 the federal government mandated new standards for reporting race and ethnicity in higher education institutions. The University of Arkansas first used those standards during the fall 2009 enrollment. Under the revised standards, students who identify themselves as Hispanic, or as Hispanic and another race, are reported as Hispanic. Students who describe themselves as being of more than one race, other than Hispanic, are now categorized as being of two or more races.

African-American students continue to make up the largest minority on campus, 5.3 percent of the student population, an increase from 5.2 percent in 2009. A total of 1,128 African-American students are enrolled at the university, 88 more than last year.

Hispanic students are the second largest minority, but showed the largest percentage gain in terms of total enrollment. In 2009 Hispanic students made up 3.5 percent of the student body; this year they represent 4 percent of the student population. An additional 162 Hispanic students enrolled for the fall 2010 semester, for a total of 861 students.

Asian-American students are 2.4 percent of the student body this fall, the same percentage as last year. There are a total of 507 Asian American students enrolled this year, 21 more than in 2009.

There are 461 students who identify themselves as being of two or more races, an increase of 189 students from last year. They make up 2.2 percent of the total enrollment, up from 1.4 percent last year.

American Indian students represent 1.6 percent of the student population, a slight decrease from 1.7 percent in 2009. However, numerically there are six more American Indian students enrolled this year, for a total of 337 students.

Hawaiian students remain the smallest ethnic minority on campus, less than 0.1 percent, the same percentage as last year, but six new students identified themselves as Hawaiian, for a total of 19 students.

Only 115 students declined to provide race and ethnicity information, 65 fewer than last year, and making up 0.5 percent of the student population.

International students are not categorized as minority students by the university, but are considered an important part of the diversity of the campus. The population of foreign students as a percentage of the total enrollment declined this year, from 5.8 percent in fall 2009 to 5.4 percent this year. The number of international students has increased by eight, however, for a total of 1,164.

Caucasian students remain the largest group on campus, making up 78.5 percent of the student enrollment, although that is down from 78.9 percent in 2009. There are a total of 16,814 Caucasian students on campus, 1,142 more than last year.

There percentage of men and women attending the University of Arkansas this year has not changed since 2009: 48.6 percent of the students are female, and 51.4 percent are male.