The University of West Alabama landed near the top of a national review of 506 public, non-specialty four-year colleges and universities across all 50 states for how well black students can access and be successful in higher education.

The review, conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California's Race and Equity Center, gave UWA a 3.25 on a scale that researchers equated to a four-point grade point average. That grade was reached by examining four factors related to equity and access for black students: enrollment, completion rate, gender equity, and the ratio of black faculty to black students.

UWA was one of only 17 institutions nationwide that earned a 3.25 or better. Three scored a 3.5 and no institutions reached a perfect four.

UWA was tied with 13 of the schools at 3.25.

The center's executive director, Shaun Harper, told AL.com the review, the first of its kind, was completed to provide a "snapshot" of what is happening with black students at public colleges and universities across the country.

That snapshot, Harper said, is clear. "These institutions," he said, "are failing black students---too many of them---across the country."

Equity for all students is important, Harper said, but for this report, they wanted to focus uniquely on black students in public institutions.

As a state, Alabama earned a 1.95, placing it in the middle of the pack of 50 states.

Massachusetts took the top spot with an equity index of 2.81, and Washington came in second with a 2.59. Louisiana took the bottom spot, with a score of 1.18.

Results were mixed for most of the 12 Alabama public colleges and universities reviewed by researchers.

While UWA took the top spot in Alabama earning A's in two categories, the University of Alabama at Birmingham had the second-highest grade, earning a 2.5 out of four. UAB also earned A's in two categories.

In a statement to AL.com,Paulette Patterson Dilworth, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at UAB, said, "This recognition speaks to the collective efforts of our students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, community partners and friends."

"We are moving in the right direction, but there is still work to do, particularly in the areas of representation equity and gender equity. As we forge ahead to expand our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to even higher levels, continued affirmation and recognition of our efforts suggest that we are walking our talk in the right direction."

The full set of letter grades and equity index for each institution is below.

One of the four factors researchers considered was how closely an institution's undergraduate student body represents the percentage of black 18- to 24-year-olds statewide.

Researchers found that black citizens are 14.6 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds across the country, but only 9.8 percent of full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates at public colleges and universities are black. Black students in that age range nationally are under-enrolled relative to their residency in their state in more than three out of four institutions reviewed, researchers noted.

In Alabama, 32.3 percent of citizens in that age range in Alabama are black, and 16 percent of the 101,000, or 15,900, of undergraduate students enrolled in Alabama's public four-year institutions in 2016 were black.

UWA and Auburn University at Montgomery each received A's for representation of black students in their student bodies---39.7 percent and 37.3 percent of their students, respectively, were black. But in seven of Alabama's institutions, fewer than 20 percent of their student bodies were black, earning each of those seven a grade of 'F'.

Harper said stereotypes held by recruiters and admissions representatives are likely to blame for the low percentage of black students enrolled at Alabama's largest public universities.

"When people are out recruiting students," Harper said, "they're not thinking that young black people are the kind of student that can be successful, unless they're student-athletes."

Another factor considered by researchers was the six-year degree completion rate of black students compared to the same rate for all students. The six-year rather than the four-year completion rate has become a standard measure for researchers.

Nationwide, across four graduating classes, 39.4 percent of black students completed their degree compared to 50.6 percent overall.

While at four of Alabama's public institutions black students exceeded that national graduation rate, only the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Montevallo earned 'A's on that measure because black students were graduating at near the same proportion that all students were.

Researchers cautioned readers to consider all of the metrics in the index, because while some numbers look good, they shouldn't be considered in isolation.

For example, at Auburn University, the good news was that 57.3 percent of black students graduated within six years, but when compared to their 71.7 percent rate overall, the 14.4 percentage point difference earned Auburn a 'D' on that indicator. And even though that graduation rate for black students was the highest in the state, only a small portion, 6.7 percent, of its student body is black.

At the University of Alabama, 56.7 percent of black students graduated within six years, but the overall graduation rate of 67.1 percent, earning a 'C' because the difference in the rates was smaller than Auburn's. But, again, only 10 percent of students at Alabama are black, meaning only a small number of black students benefited from that higher graduation rate.

When asked what impact historically black colleges and universities, known as HBCUs, may be having on black student enrollment in public higher education institutions nationally, Harper said little if any.

"Fewer than 12 percent of black students go to HBCUs," Harper said, "which means more than 88 percent go to predominantly white institutions."

Alabama has two HBCUs that offer four-year degrees. In fall of 2017, just under 9,250 students were enrolled and more than 90 percent of students at each of the two campuses are black. That means more than half of all black students enrolled in undergraduate programs attend the colleges and universities studied in the report.

The other two indicators in the index considered how the gap between the percentage of black women and black men enrolled compared to the national rate and the ratio of black faculty members to black students. Smaller gaps earned better grades.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Jacksonville State University and UWA all earned A's, while Auburn University at Montgomery earned an 'F' because 75 percent of black students enrolled are women, more than 18 percentage points higher than the 56.3 percent of female students enrolled nationally.

Researchers caution that while students play an important role, they believe policymakers and higher education leaders have a larger role to play.

"The onus for success is too often placed entirely on students, their families, and K-12 schools they attended," the report reads. Researchers gave a roadmap of recommendations to achieve racial equity in both opportunity and overall success for black students but acknowledge it will take time and real commitment by higher education officials and policymakers to move the needle.

Clearly, Harper believes more can be done to help black students be successful at public colleges and universities. He said he hopes the center's findings will provide the hard data needed for decision-makers to improve outcomes for black students.

"In all of the work that I've done over the entirety of my career," Harper said, "I have yet to meet a black undergraduate student who actually enrolled at any college or university and said, 'I enrolled but I don't want to succeed there.' I've not met one yet."

Here's a look at two of the factors considered in the report. Click here to read the full report from USC's Race and Equity Center.