The University of Vermont ranks 59th on the New York Times' College Access Index, a measure of top colleges’ efforts to boost economic diversity at their institutions. UVM is among universities whose scores “indicate the most effort” toward making college accessible to economically disadvantaged students.

The ranking scores schools on the share of students who receive Pell grants, the graduation rate of those students, and the price that colleges charge both low- and middle-income students. Only schools with a five-year graduation rate of 75 percent or higher are included on the list.

“There is a reason that nearly all families that can comfortably send their children to college do so,” the article that accompanies the ranking states, citing low unemployment rates for college graduates and a higher median wage — factors that point to college as “the most reliable ticket to the middle class and beyond.”

“For families that aren’t as comfortable,” the article concludes, “some colleges are doing much more to help than others.”

When the ranking is sorted by endowment size, UVM ranks 13th among schools with smaller endowments that are doing the most for low-income students, proving another key point of the article, that “economic diversity is within the power of any top university. The question is whether the university’s leaders decide it’s a priority.”

Promoting affordability, financial access and academic support is a key element of UVM president Tom Sullivan’s strategic action plan.

“Access and affordability,” Sullivan says, “are core principles and top priorities at the University of Vermont. Inclusion on this important ranking is validation that UVM is among the best in the nation at making sure a high-quality college education is within reach for students from all economic backgrounds.”