<p>Yes, but there’s diversity and then there’s diversity. State lines don’t necessarily tell the tale. I wonder how many of UDel’s OOS students come from within a 60-mile radius, which would take in nearby Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania and southern NJ suburbs, as well as Baltimore and its suburbs? How diverse is that? Essentially these groups would all share a Mid-Atlantic urban/suburban background, i.e., possibly embrace less diversity than you’d find within a single large, geographically and demographically diverse state.</p>
<p>Similarly, around half of Wisconsin’s OOS students come from neighboring Minnesota, because Minnesotans are automatically entitled to in-state tuition rates under the two states’ reciprocity agreement. Demographically the two states are quite similar. Traditionally the cultural divide among Wisconsin students is between the “Coasters” (people from Coastal states) and the " 'Sconnies" (Wisconsinites), but the ubiquitous Minnesotans are lumped in with the 'Sconnies because they’re so similar. Given all that, Wisconsin’s OOS figure might misleadingly imply a higher level of geographic and demographic diversity than actually exists.</p>