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Grinnell College
- Diversity

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Grinnell College - Diversity - Diversity - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.62

Diversity

A
Where does this grade come from?View all Diversity rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Diversity Grades:

Quick Stats

African American 5%
Asian American 7%
Hispanic 6%
International 11%
Native American 0%
White 62%
Unknown 8%
Historically Black College/University? No
Tribal College? No
Out-of-State Students 85%
Common States of Residence
  • California
  • Foreign countries
  • Illinois
  • New York
  • Wisconsin
Student Age Breakdown Under 18: 1%
18-19: 47%
20-21: 47%
22-24: 5%
25+: 0%
Female Faculty 42%
Male Faculty 58%
Faculty Diversity African American: 6%
Asian American: 7%
Hispanic: 7%
International: 2%
Native American: 0%
White: 77%
Unknown: 0%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

According to the faculty, the percentage of minority students who go to Grinnell is comparable to other liberal arts institutions across the country. Still, there is only a small number of ethnic minorities on campus. This may be due to socioeconomic reasons—Grinnell is expensive. Unfortunately, there have been reported incidents of racism in town, and while this doesn’t represent the attitude (or intelligence) of all the townies, as a rule, they tend to be more closed-minded than college students and faculty.

Ideologically, it’s not surprising that Grinnell is an overwhelmingly liberal institution, and around campus it is more acceptable to be in a left-leaning state of mind. There are a few conservative students who love Grinnell as much as any liberal, but it’s likely that most right-wingers don’t even consider Grinnell. The College Republicans have about six members, but they bring in controversial speakers. Occasionally, someone brings up the complaint that the gay, bisexual, and lesbian community doesn’t stick together, but the counter-argument is that there’s no need for them to stick together because everyone is fully accepting. Gay and straight people take advantage of the Stonewall Resource Center, a facility that houses a sizable library on topics relevant to the gay, bisexual, and lesbian community. Students are also accepting of sexual experimentation, which also eases the impact of coming out of the closet.

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Grinnell Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Diversity at Grinnell College

LovelyOleander

Mathematics & Statistics '15

3.5
B

Yes and No

There is a fair amount of diversity. There are lots of international students, and a fair amount of students of color. But most everyone here is liberal and upper-middle class.

Apr 06, 2012

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Diversity at Grinnell College

shimdooy

Sociology '15

5.0
A+

Salad Bowl

There is every kind of people at Grinnell. Some nerds, jocks, preps, etc. Because of its diversity, everyone seems to get along well. People who value diversity gather here. Campus is extremely liberal towards LGBT society and everyone of every race hangs out with each other.

Nov 06, 2011

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Diversity at Grinnell College

zheng111

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology '14

4.2
A-

Gender Neutral!

The diversity at Grinnell is awesome! The only thing I'd have to criticize about is the liberal-ness of the students here. We are so left wing, it almost compromises our judgement of any other view.

Jul 11, 2011

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Page 1 of 6
User rating for Grinnell College - Diversity is 3.5 out of 5 based on 16 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How diverse is the student body in the following areas?

How diverse is your personal circle of friends in the following areas?

How accepting is the campus community as a whole toward someone who falls into the minority (ethnic, sexual, or religious)?

How would you best describe your personal political beliefs?

How would you best describe the political beliefs of campus as a whole?

Facts

Gay Pride

Grinnell is amazing when it comes to gay tolerance and is one of the most open colleges in the country. Many gay, lesbian, and bisexual students at Grinnell come out of the closet to their peers before they come out to their parents. Organizations like Stonewall Coalition serve as hubs for the homosexual community, and students harassing others on the basis of their sexual preference is unheard of and would not be tolerated. However, there have been frequent complaints about people who live in town, particularly high school students, harassing random Grinnell students in passing with derogatory references to homosexuality.

Political Activity

Many students believe that there is too little political diversity on campus. Most students are moderate to radical left wing, and Republicans and right wingers often feel that their views are cast aside too swiftly by their peers. However, when it comes to the views on the left, you will find anything from devout Democrats to outright anarchists, and every person in between.

Economic Status

While there are a good number of upper-class and upper-middle-class students at Grinnell due to the College's need-blind admissions policy, many people from underprivileged families also attend the school. The College has recently made some changes in its recruitment (though not admissions) policy to try to attract wealthier students on the grounds that it increases economic diversity (or possibly that they need more funding and would like to grant less financial aid), but this policy seems to be failing so far.

Most Common Religions

The Christian community on campus tends to be the most visible through student groups, but other religions are widely accepted. There also seems to be a sizable atheist and agnostic community, and while these groups tend not to make much noise, some religious students are occasionally scrutinized by others who have anti-religious views.

Minority Clubs on Campus

There are many different minority groups on campus, including those for Asian Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans, just to name a few.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Akshay Bajaj
Hometown
Mumbai, India
Major
Economics

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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