Now, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 12.4 percent of this year’s freshman class, the class of 2020, is black. That number ties the University for first place—with Columbia University—among top-ranked research universities.

Washington University plans to launch a pre-college preparatory program for high school students in the St. Louis area this summer. The program, organized by Leah Merrifield, assistant vice chancellor for community engagement, will house 20 rising high school sophomores on the University campus and offer the students programming intended to prepare them for college.