Harvard University finished first in The Journal's study with 94 percent graduation and Vassar College placed second with 92 percent. Williams College posted a 90 percent black graduation rate and was the only other liberal arts school to have a graduation rate above 90 percent. The study's data are based on 1999 college reports to the NCAA.
"We were aware that Amherst's minority retention rates were among the highest in the nation," said Dean of Students Ben Lieber. "We're pleased to see how it compares with other schools."
The Fall 2000 edition of The Journal listed Amherst as the liberal arts college with the highest first-year black student enrollment. Amherst's Class of 2004 has a black student enrollment of 11.1 percent, according to the study, a 74 percent increase from the Class of 2003. Amherst's first-year black student enrollment placed ahead of all universities, except the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose freshman class is composed of12 percent black students.
Director of Admission Katie Fretwell said that "the campus' diverse student body helps to draw the most committed students to the College, further adding to the school's diversity." She added that the Class of 2005 application pool represents the College's highest minority pool ever, both in terms of percentage and sheer numbers.
The report also noted the difference between black graduation rates and overall graduation rates. Vassar, it noted, posted 92 percent black student graduation but has a 85 percent overall graduation rate. Amherst's 91 percent black graduation rate lags behind the school's overall graduation rate of 96 percent.
"Despite [its] performance, the College is completely dissatisfied with this gap," said Lieber. "We would like to see the graduation rates for all groups be the same. While it's great to do so well, we'd like to do better across the board."
Director of Financial Aid Joe Paul Case notes that "the data reflect not just the role of financial aid in retention of students, but of the College's entire effort-from admission and financial aid to academic support services."
Lieber added that the top schools "represent such a disparate group that one would have to look hard to find commonality. We'd like to say that the performance is the result of the personal attention students receive at small schools, but then you've got Harvard and Princeton, so that's out."
Among state-operated universities, The Journal's report found that the University of Virginia had the highest black student graduation rate at 86 percent and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had the second highest rate at 65 percent.