Miami, OSU, UD, UC, WSU and other area colleges remain mostly white

Local college students remain mostly white and financially well-off despite a push by universities to attract a more diverse student body.

Even as the University of Dayton welcomed its most diverse class in history in August, minorities and students from low-income households remain under-represented there and at most other area colleges, according to National Center for Education Statistics data analyzed by this newspaper.

RELATED: Racial diversity hasn’t changed much in decades at area colleges

At UD, slightly more than 79 percent of 2016 undergraduates were white, compared to 77.7 percent at Wittenberg University, 74.8 percent at Miami University and 73.4 percent at Wright State University. At Cedarville University in Greene County, about 87 percent of the undergrads were white in 2016.

"We're coming off really a record-setting year at UD so we're excited about the momentum and also very open and honest to acknowledge that this is ongoing work," said Jason Reinoehl, UD vice president for enrollment management. "We have a ways to go on this."

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The push for ethnic and economic diversity has intensified in recent years because both are now seen as a necessary piece of a college education, school administrators said. International students also bring in more revenue to a university because those students pay full price for tuition and are not eligible for financial aid.

Area black college students says more should be done. Read our in-depth investigation HERE.

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