Virginia Tech is a top-ranked, comprehensive land-grant institution that offers its 37,000 students 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and manages a research portfolio of more than $556 million. In 2015, the university wanted to better serve underrepresented students and improve the diversity of their own student body, noting that even though the population of the Commonwealth of Virginia was 20 percent Black, the university’s Black student population was 5 percent.
Partnering with RNL to improve awarding and enrollment for underrepresented students
Virginia Tech went to work implementing a number of initiatives to improve campus diversity, equity, and inclusion. As one of those initiatives, Virginia Tech’s enrollment team partnered with RNL’s financial aid service consultants to better understand how financial aid awards impact underrepresented students. The university was then able to monitor the effects of its awarding and make strategic adjustments to packages to ensure that it would meet its goals for enrollment and diversity.
Amazing progress increasing underrepresented enrollment
Virginia Tech made a number of significant gains in diversity with its student enrollment.
7-POINT INCREASE
in underrepresented enrollment
(40% up from 33%)
NEARLY DOUBLED
the number of students who identify as Black or as Black and two more races (9% up from 5%)
MEETING FINANCIAL NEED
of underrepresented students more strategically
Winner of a 2022 RNL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence Award
In recognition of its achievements, Virginia Tech received an RNL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence Award at the 2022 RNL National Conference.
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