Looking across TCU’s campus during a rush to class, two things are obvious – there are more women than men on campus, and there are few students of color. 

While admissions is taking steps to increase diversity on campus, it looks like the gender gap is staying the same.

The Office of Institutional Research released the updated student demographic data for 2017 in October. Nowell Donovan, the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, has analyzed trends and compared TCU’s data with other schools in a series of presentations throughout the semester.

Student Ethnic Demographics

Ethnic diversity is about more than morality it is the key to staying relevant, Heath Einstein, the undergraduate admissions counselor, said. He added that increasing diversity benefits the campus community.

In an email, Karen Espino, a junior mechanical engineering and math double major, wrote increasing diversity would help minority students feel more welcome. She also said diversity improves learning.

“Diversity allows for different ideas and opinions to be brought up,” Espino said. “Sometimes, people need a different point of view in order to understand a subject.”

While there are more Hispanic students at TCU than before (in fact, Einstein said this demographic made up the largest increase), the proportion of African American students at TCU has remained the same. This stagnancy comes despite an increased number of African American students.

“Proportionately, there’s been no increase in African American students,” Donovan said. 

Espino said she notices the lack of diversity on campus– saying as a minority, the lack of diversity is “apparent.” Espino also said diversity promotes awareness of different backgrounds.

“It makes students aware of the fact that there are people of many different backgrounds, and definitely makes them more open-minded,” Espino said.

Einstein said TCU hosts recruitment events for students of color, including Shades of Purple, which recruits students of color from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“The percent of students of color here is not where we want it,” Einstein said. “But it’s the highest it’s ever been.”

Student Gender Ratio

Women have dominated TCU for 40 years, but the Horned Frogs aren’t the only ones with female student population on the rise. 

In 1994, 63 percent of females and 61 of males attended college immediately after graduating high school. However, in 2012 female enrollment increased to 71 percent, while male enrollment didn’t change.

Boschini said 65.4 percent of college degrees in the last two years were earned by women. 

Donovan said the ratio between male and female students at TCU has been “essentially flat.” The ratio, which is 52 females to 48 males, hasn’t changed in the past 40 years, Donovan said.

TCU would have to admit 950 more men and 950 fewer women to even the gender ratio– something Donovan said won’t be happening.

“It’s not realistically going to happen,” Donovan said. “I don’t want to lose 950 females.”