Colleges aim to equalize male, female ratio
Arlene Horton
Issue date: 10/13/06 Section: News
Originally published: 10/12/06 at 7:30 PM EST
Last update: 10/12/06 at 7:30 PM EST
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Two girls for every boy?
Not quite yet.
The male to female ratio of students in colleges around the country has been decreasing.
In 2004, 57 percent of bachelor's degrees were earned by women whereas today more than half of all doctorates, master's, bachelor's and associate degrees are earned by them.
Most college campuses average a male to female ratio of 43/57 percent.
Plattsburgh State University College has reamined very close to this range for the past five years.
Thirty years ago, males constituted 58 percent of the college population compared to today's 44 percent.
To entice more high school males into colleges, some universities are sending campus literature with masculine pictures or emphasizing male-dominant classes such as an engineering programs to high schools.
The Santa Clara College in California sends out "special mailings" to high school boys in their recruitment attempt.
Colleges are finding that to rank higher academically among other colleges, they must admit more women as they are more often the top students in high school.
This raises admission standards which directors are reluctant to lower to even the gender ratio at their institution.
A 50/50 percent ratio is now the exception rather than the rule.
These standards apply to women, too.
Carnegie Mellon University has strong electrical engineering and computer science programs that more men than women apply to. Because only females having exceptional academic strength for them are admitted, the male to female ratio at Carnegie Mellon University is 60/40 percent.
In his article, "Gender Gap Growing On College Campuses", Peter Y. Hong, of the Los Angeles Times, stated, "Administrators are watching closely for the 'tipping point' at which schools become unappealing to both men and women. They fear that lopsided male to female ratios will hurt the social life and diverse classrooms they use as selling points."
Not quite yet.
The male to female ratio of students in colleges around the country has been decreasing.
In 2004, 57 percent of bachelor's degrees were earned by women whereas today more than half of all doctorates, master's, bachelor's and associate degrees are earned by them.
Most college campuses average a male to female ratio of 43/57 percent.
Plattsburgh State University College has reamined very close to this range for the past five years.
Thirty years ago, males constituted 58 percent of the college population compared to today's 44 percent.
To entice more high school males into colleges, some universities are sending campus literature with masculine pictures or emphasizing male-dominant classes such as an engineering programs to high schools.
The Santa Clara College in California sends out "special mailings" to high school boys in their recruitment attempt.
Colleges are finding that to rank higher academically among other colleges, they must admit more women as they are more often the top students in high school.
This raises admission standards which directors are reluctant to lower to even the gender ratio at their institution.
A 50/50 percent ratio is now the exception rather than the rule.
These standards apply to women, too.
Carnegie Mellon University has strong electrical engineering and computer science programs that more men than women apply to. Because only females having exceptional academic strength for them are admitted, the male to female ratio at Carnegie Mellon University is 60/40 percent.
In his article, "Gender Gap Growing On College Campuses", Peter Y. Hong, of the Los Angeles Times, stated, "Administrators are watching closely for the 'tipping point' at which schools become unappealing to both men and women. They fear that lopsided male to female ratios will hurt the social life and diverse classrooms they use as selling points."
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