Auburn University is one of the least economically diverse public schools in the country, according to a New York Times database published this month.

The New York Times’ College Access Index measured economic diversity in the country’s most selective colleges by analyzing the share of students receiving Pell Grants and attendance costs in the 2020-21 school year. The list covers 286 of the most selective public and private colleges in the country, which together enrolled about 2.7 million of the country’s 15.9 million students that year.

In this ranking, Auburn University reported the lowest share of freshmen Pell recipients – 11% – than any other public university listed. The average percentage of Pell recipients among listed colleges was 21%.

The latest federal data, from the 2020-21 school year, shows that about 65% of Auburn students got some level of institutional aid, totaling up to an average of $9,799. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that those scholarships are going to low-income students.

Overall, Auburn ranked 265th for accessibility, tied with Furman University, Reed College, Tufts University and William and Mary.

Auburn has been working to enroll more low-income students, listing a goal to ensure that at least 17.5% of its student body is eligible for Pell grants this school year. Officials also plan to increase funding for need-based aid, improve relationships with two-year colleges and work to dispel perceptions that the school is “not diverse or inclusive” and “too expensive or elitist.”

Read more: What the end of race-conscious admissions means for Alabama colleges.

Auburn did not respond to a request for an update on those efforts.

Two other Alabama colleges also appeared in the ranking, which only included undergraduate colleges that are considered selective.

The University of Alabama ranked 149th on the list, reporting 19% of freshmen Pell recipients. The University of Alabama at Huntsville ranked 81st, with 24% of freshmen receiving Pell Grants.

While schools with big endowments such as Princeton, Yale and Harvard have been accepting more and more Pell recipients, that percentage has appeared to decline in other schools. Among all Alabama schools listed, the percentage of Pell recipients has declined in the past decade, with UAH seeing the largest dip, from 34% to 24%.

Cost of attendance in each of the three Alabama colleges, on the other hand, is higher than average, with net prices for middle-income students ranging between $18,000 to $22,000 a year. The average net price among selective colleges was $17,800.

Net prices are the total cost of college attendance – including fees, room and board and tuition – minus the average amount of aid given out to students. Middle-income describes a student with a family income between $48,000 and $75,000.

The College Access Index differs from more popular college rankings because it only focuses on cost and accessibility among selective colleges, rather than all colleges.

According to the U.S. News and World Report’s most recent college rankings, Auburn University is listed as the 93rd best college in the nation and the 47th best public school. Out of 211 colleges, it ranked 177th in best value.

The New York Times also released a “Build Your Own College Rankings” tool this year, allowing users to score colleges based on various cost and diversity factors, as well as employment outcomes, academics and campus life.

Alabama schools with the most economic diversity to the least are ranked below:

1. Tuskegee University
2. University of Alabama at Birmingham
3. University of Mobile
4. University of Montevallo
5. University of Alabama in Huntsville
6. Spring Hill College
7. The University of Alabama
8. Auburn University
9. Samford University
10. Birmingham-Southern College