The New York Times ranked Texas A&M 25th in its list of the top 170 colleges doing the most for the American Dream. This ranking was defined by students socioeconomic mobility after graduating, typically focusing on lower and middle-class students.
The New York Times notes that endowment opportunities are not necessarily indications of economic diversity. In a related article, David Leonhardt with the New York Times points out that the largest decline in grants comes from the University of California system despite their top rankings of working toward the American Dream. President Michael Young said he is proud of the recognition Texas A&M received.
“I am so proud that Texas A&M University has been included on a list of colleges doing the most for the ‘American Dream,’” Young said. “As a land-grant institution, our mission is to provide a transformational education to students of all backgrounds so that they may assume roles in leadership, responsibility and service to society.”
The colleges surpassing Texas A&M include six University of California schools and Ivy League schools such as Yale and Columbia University. Additionally, A&M was given a 1.19 College Access Index, indicating a 0.19 measure of higher effort toward the American Dream from the average university.
“In our increasingly global society, we must do as much as we can to ensure equal access to higher education so our students can reach their highest potential and achieve their dreams, whatever those dreams may be.”