Latinos High Schools Graduates Enroll In College At Higher Rates Than Whites, Yet Few Graduate.

More than ten percent of all Latino high school graduates—some 1.2 million students—are enrolled in college. That is a higher enrollment rate than for whites and is second only to Asians, according to a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center released at a joint news conference with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute. Despite their high rate of enrollment, Latino high school graduates lag every other population group in attaining college degrees. While much attention has focused on the high school dropout rate, the college dropout rate for Hispanics may be just as significant.

The PHC report, Latinos in Higher Education: Many Enroll, Too Few Graduate, reveals that Latinos often pursue higher education in ways that can thwart degree completion. Many Latinos attend school only parttime and many enroll in community colleges. Others prolong their college education into their mid-20s and beyond. Each of these three forms of college attendance is associated with lower graduation rates compared to full-time enrollment at a four-year institution during the traditional college-going age, according to federal research cited in the PHC report. The report, additional state-specific data and a transcript of the news conference can be found on the PHC web site: www.pewhispanic.org.

“Far too few Latinos finish high school, but this report shows clearly that among those who do make it, large numbers go on to college,” said Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center.

“Educators, policy-makers and their own communities should view these college students as targets of opportunity. Helping them get to graduation day would yield enormous returns on relatively small investments.”

“It is in our national self-interest to close the academic achievement gap between Hispanic and other high school graduates,” said Sarita Brown, president & CEO, Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute. “With effective institutional practices and a commitment to meeting student financial aid needs, we can increase retention and graduation rates for Latinos already enrolled in college.”

Key Findings – Among the report’s key findings: Twenty-five percent of Hispanic college students ages 18- to 24-years old are enrolled part-time compared to only 15 percent of their white peers. Many Latinos are attending two-year institutions—40 percent compared to 25 percent of white and black students in that age group. Moreover, some 7 percent of Latino high school graduates over the age of 24 years old are enrolled in college courses compared to 5 percent of whites.

Economic necessity and family obligations appear to be major factors in these students’ choices. Academic preparation, understanding of college advancement and graduation requirements and financial aid
policies also play important roles.

Richard Fry, senior research associate at the Pew Hispanic Center, is author of the report. Fry, an economist who previously tracked college enrollment trends for the Educational Testing Service, combined and averaged Current Population Survey data from 1997 to 2000 to produce a detailed analysis of Latinos in higher education. In addition to the trends highlighted above, the report identifies differences in college enrollment among Latinos according to generation, gender and national-origin group.

Implications for the U.S. Economy – The strength and productivity of the U.S. work force increasingly depends upon the educational progress of Latinos. Between the years 2000 and 2025, the white working age population is expected to decline by five million workers, as baby boomers retire from the labor force. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of working age Latinos is projected to increase by 18 million. Efforts to increase the numbers of Latino college graduates will raise the economic prospects, social well-being and civic engagement of the fast-growing U.S. Hispanic population.

At the September 5 press event, Dr. Ricardo Fernández, President of Lehman College, CUNY, in Bronx, NY and Dr. Teresa Sullivan, Vice President and Dean, Graduate Studies at University of Texas at Austin, will comment on the report’s findings and the implications for educators and policy-makers.

The Pew Hispanic Center is a non-partisan research organization founded in 2001 with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts of Philadelphia. The center is a project of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Its mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the entire nation.

To view reports CLICK below (Adobe Acrobat reader required):

http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/latinosinhighereducation-sept5-02.pdf

Annual College Enrollment Levels and Characteristics, by Race/Ethnicity, 1997 to 2000:

California

http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/california-annualcollegeenrollment.pdf

Florida

http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/florida-annualcollegeenrollment.pdf

Illinois

http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/illinois-annual_collegeenrollment.pdf

New York

http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/new_york-annualcollegeenrollment.pdf

Texas

http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/texas-annualcollegeenrollment.pdf

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