HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 25 -- Trinity College has been ranked among the top colleges and universities for Asian-American and African-American students by two new national publications.

Trinity College is ranked No. 8 (in a tie with Swarthmore) among liberal arts colleges by aMagazine: Inside Asian America, which is published by aMedia, a leading producer and distributor of media for the Asian-American market. The magazine surveyed American colleges and universities to determine "The Best Colleges for Asian Americans."

The rankings are based on a number of factors including the percent of Asian Pacific Americans (APA) among the student, faculty, and administration; the diversity of the student population; retention rates of APA students; cultural and curricular programming; APA student organizations; and financial support for APA students.

The top 10 liberal arts colleges for Asian-Americans, as rated by aMagazine (in order) are: Pomona (CA), Wellesley (MA), Whittier (CA), Mt. Holyoke (MA), Barnard (NY), Carleton (MN), Claremont (CA), Trinity College, Swarthmore (PA), and Haverford (PA).

Trinity is also listed among "the 100 best schools for African-American students" by The Kaplan DayStar Guide to Colleges for African-American Students, which is published by the Kaplan division of Simon & Schuster. The guidebook rates colleges and universities on a number of variables, including academics, social life, and special programs and services for students.

The ratings (institutions were not ranked) are based on DayStar's survey of African-American higher education professionals and a survey of the institutions they recommended. Ratings were determined by a number of factors: enrollment and graduation rates, numbers of African-American faculty, administrative offices in support of minority students, and social and academic life for African-American students.

More than 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States were analyzed by DayStar. Among the national liberal arts colleges considered to be the "top 25" by U.S. News & World Report, only Trinity and 11 others are included in the DayStar "top 100" list.

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