University of Minnesota Aims to Attract Minority Students

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ The University of Minnesota is increasing efforts to recruit
students of color to its Twin Cities campus.

The university's admissions office is scheduling campus tours, sending out recruiters and delivering applications to potential students. The office has five staff members dedicated to recruiting students of color.

The university is also tailoring tours and programs for minority students.

The university is most focused on recruiting more black students. About 5.5 percent of the undergraduate student population is black, up from 4.5 percent five years ago.

The university says its retention rate of students of color has also increased, from less than 90 percent in 2010 to almost 94 percent in 2015.

The U.S. Census estimates that more than 6 percent of the state's population is black.