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Student Demographic Profile
History Behind USF's Student Diversity

In the 1800s, USF's diversity (then Saint Ignatius College) was mostly a reflection of the diversity inherent in San Francisco. For example, when German and French migrants came to San Francisco, the population of European students in USF increased as well. USF's student population diversity has increased throughout the last century. Filipinos started attending the university in the 1920s, after the United State's annexation of Philippines. In 1960s, Mexicans, African Americans, Chinese, Norwegians came to USF. The 1970s marked the start of students from Hong Kong, Japan and Indonesia, coming to USF. In 1964, 473 women enrolled as full-time undergraduates marking the first time women attended USF. Stephen Privett, S.J, the university's current president, said in his inaugural address of November 18, 2000, "The diversity of our city and our university community closely mirror the rich complexity of our world. The University of San Francisco first served Irish and Italian immigrants who otherwise had no access to quality education. The original roster of students names has expanded over the years from Cleary, O'Brien, Pinasco, and Vanzinni, to include Nguyen, Aquino, Takashi, Gonzales, and Chang....Providing a quality education to immigrants and the sons and daughters of immigrants will forever be a heart-felt concern of the Jesuit University of San Francisco."

A school census of Fall 1993 undergraduate freshmen indicated 42.66% Whites, 23% Asian Americans, 11% International students, 10% Hispanic/Latinos. 5% African Americans, 0.34% Native Americans and 8% of students in the census chose not to specify. Enrollment in Fall 1993 was a total of 7,662 students, 62.5% of whom were undergraduates.

In 2002, a plan was developed by the university to increase the diversity of the USF student population. This plan was enacted by university officials, who also enlisted the help of USF alumni to "assemble a mix of students that wil help USF achieve its vision: to educate leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world." In 2002, 64.4% of undergraduates were female and 35.6% were male. The plan sought to address concerns of the gender ratio and increase the percentage of international students at USF from 9.4% to around 15%. A statement made by USF President, Stephen A. Privett, S.J (2000 to present) in an interview by USF Magazine highlighted the importance the university placed on the diversity of its student population. The USF President also clarified the scope of diversity to include "ethnicity, gender and life experiences."

In December 2006, USF was awarded a $500,000 grant by the Lumina Foundation for Education to examine "how best to recruit and retain low-income, first-generation, and ethnic minority students at Jesuit universities." Other participating Jesuit Institutions included Canisius College, College of the Holy Cross, Creighton University, Fairfield University, Fordham University, John Carroll University, Le Moyne College, Marquette University, Saint Peter's College, Santa Clara University, Seattle University, Spring Hill College, University of Detriot Mercy, Wheeling Jesuit University and Xavier University.

Views On USF Student Diversity

Surveys show that USF students consistently value diversity at USF. A survey conducted for graduating students on 24th May 2007 by USF's Office of Student Enrichment Programs indicated that 86% felt that individual ethnicity, religion, race and other differences were valued at USF. The same survey records that 70% of the graduating students agreed that their appreciation of those differences increased while they were at USF. This result is consistent with past surveys conducted on graduating students where over the period from May 1997 to December 1999, the result ranged from 78 to 84% for students valued the mentioned differences and 63 to 72% for those who "felt their appreciation of differences increased while at USF."

In 2004, a survey by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute indicated that 80% of USF students "considered it essential or very important that their undergraduate experience" developed their personal values. This statistic was higher than the national average sampling of 67%.

Despite USF's small population of undergraduates, the casual student guide, The College Prowler stated that because of USF's student diversity, "there are lots of appealing guys and girls." The College Prowler rated USF males a "B-" and USF females a "A-." In the same student guide, The College Prowler also published a list of "The Best & The Worst," in which diversity was ranked as the 4th best thing about USF by students.

Rankings
USF has earned several other non-academic based awards and rankings. In 2007, the university was recognized as one of 76 "community engaged" colleges and universities in the United States by the Carnegie Foundation.

USF also received recognition for its community involvement when it was awarded the Fr. Alfred Boeddeker Award by the St Anthony Foundation in 2007. The award was given in recognition of "the strong relationship" between USF and St Anthony's as well as the active involvement of the USF Faculty and Students with several St Anthony's projects

Student Admissions
As of 2006, Nine admissions counselors were in charge of selecting students for entry. In an article published in a Fall 2006 issue of the USF Magazine, Sandoval, an admissions counselor revealed certain factors that the university used to filter its applicants. The factors mentioned were: high school GPAs, involvement in extra curricular activities, languages spoken, "first in family to go to college", letters of recommendation, test scores and in particular, the students' essays. Sandoval also mentioned in the article that the best essays were "specific, genuine, honest, and personal.

In 2005, USF enrolled close to 120 students from the New Orleans area, housing "approximately 90 on campus." The students came from universities that were closed as a result of the massive city flooding after Hurricane Katrina. In an email addressed to the USF community, USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J wrote, "Our policy is to accept as many qualified students as we can accommodate and work out the details later when we and they have more information. " Some of the Hurricane Katrina victims also received scholarships. One such recipient was Stace McRaney, whose home and workplace was destroyed by the hurricane. Stace McRaney was the first recipient of the Lone Mountain Legacy Scholarship, funded by alumnae of the San Francisco College for Women.

Financial Aid

The increase of Financial Aid given by the university to students have generally exceed the rate of growth of USF's tuition fees. Over 10 years from 1993 to 2003, annual tuition fees grew by 65% but financial aid experienced 160% growth. Annual tuition in '93/94 was $13,200 and total financial aid was $12.9 million. By '02/03, annual tuition had increased to $21,700 but financial aid experienced a larger increase to $33.6 million. In a USF student guide published by The College Prowler, USF students rated high tuition fees as one of "the ten worst things about USF."