U.Va. noted for high black graduation rate

A study recently published in the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows that U.Va. graduated the highest percentage of African Americans among public universities last year. The only public school among the top 15, U.Va.'s graduation rate of 87 percent is higher than that at Duke, Stanford, and five of the Ivy Leagues.

Harvard heads the list, with a graduation rate of 94 percent for African Americans, coupled with a white graduation rate of 97 percent. Other schools with rates above 85 percent include Haverford, Vassar, Hamilton, Princeton, Brown, Amherst and Williams.

In contrast, historically black colleges and universities have lower graduation rates, which the article in the Autumn issue attributes to lack of financial aid. Among those institutions, Spelman College in Atlanta had the highest rate, 76 percent.