The impact of racial diversity within college campuses for students of color

Student populations in higher education are rapidly increasing in diversity. Despite their access to higher education, students of color still face numerous structural and interpersonal barriers to their success within these institutions. Plethora of research suggests that more racially diverse groups improve climate and performance within institutions; however, it is less clear whether it matters where this diversity is represented.

We experimentally tested whether racial diversity on college campuses would shape important student-related outcomes, such as sense of belonging, interests in the institution, and their perceptions of the institution's commitment to diversity. Importantly, we examine whether these effects of racial diversity differ when this representation is presented in student versus faculty populations on campus.

Across two studies, we find that racially diverse campuses lead to more belonging, college interest, and honest perceptions of an institution's commitment to diversity, which are crucial for students to both enter and succeed within institutions of higher learning. However, we detect no differences whether this diversity is represented within students versus faculty. Critically, we find no differences in these effects among students of color and White students.

These findings suggest that greater racial diversity on college campuses is essential to fostering positive student-related outcomes, not only for students of color but also for all students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).