Predominantly white institution
PWI is an acronym used in the educational sphere that stands for “predominantly white institution.” This term is used to describe colleges and universities where more than half of the students are White. Some of these schools are also referred to as HWCUs, which stands for historically white colleges and universities. It means the majority of the students there have always been White.
The topic of PWIs often comes up when talking about historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs). The main focus of these dialogues is why PWIs are mostly White and what can be done to make them more diverse. For instance, discussions might focus on the policies or initiatives that a PWI can introduce to attract a more diverse student body.
To give you a better idea, some well-known PWIs are Princeton, Stanford, Cornell and honestly, most of the colleges and universities in the U.S. So, when you hear or see the term PWI, it’s most likely referring to these types of institutions.
Example for using ‘PWI’ in a conversation
Hey, have you decided on which college you want to go to?
Yeah, I’m thinking about going to a PWI.
What’s a PWI?
It stands for ‘predominantly white institution’. It’s a college or university where most of the students are White.
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