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Generational Gains in Postsecondary Education Appear To Have Stalled, New ACE Report Finds

Washington, DC (October 9, 2008)—The tradition of young adults in the United States attaining higher levels of education than previous generations appears to have stalled, and for far too many people of color, the percentage of young adults with some type of postsecondary degree compared with older adults has actually fallen, a new report by the American Council on Education (ACE) concludes.

According to the Minorities in Higher Education 2008 Twenty-third Status Report, the percentage of young adults aged 25 to 29 and older adults aged 30 and above with at least an associate degree in 2006 was about the same, approximately 35 percent. For Hispanics and American Indians, young adults have even less education than previous generations.

In 2006, among older Hispanics, 18 percent had at least an associate degree, but just 16 percent of young Hispanics had reached that same educational threshold. Among American Indians, 21 percent of older adults had at least an associate degree compared with 18 percent of young adults.

The postsecondary educational attainment rates of African Americans remained relatively the same for both age groups, at approximately 24 percent. Asian Americans and whites were the only two groups where young adults were more educated than prior generations. Sixty-six percent of young Asian Americans had at least an associate degree compared with 54 percent of older Asian Americans. The percentages for whites were 41 percent for young adults and 37 percent for older adults.  

“It appears we are at a tipping point in our nation’s history,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. “One of the core tenets of the American dream is the hope that younger generations, who’ve had greater opportunities for educational advancement than their parents and grandparents, will be better off than the generations before them, yet this report shows that aspiration is at serious risk.”

The examination of postsecondary attainment between young and older adults is one of several new features found in this year’s report. It also contains enrollment rates for Asian Americans and American Indians for the first time. Previous reports were unable to do so because estimates could not be made reliably due to small sample size.

The Minorities in Higher Education 2008 Twenty-third Status Report, made possible with support from the GE Foundation, is widely recognized as the most authoritative national source of information on advances made by students of color in higher education. The report summarizes trends in high school completion, college enrollment, college persistence, degrees conferred and higher education employment. The report uses data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Among the Report’s Key Findings:

• Total minority enrollment at the nation’s colleges and universities rose by 50 percent from 3.4 million students to 5 million students between 1995 and 2005. White enrollment increased from 9.9 million to 10.7 million, a gain of 8 percent.
• Students of color made up 29 percent of the nearly 17.5 million students on America’s campuses.
• Despite significant gains in college enrollment rates for young people from all races, progress was uneven and gaps widened. In 2006, 61 percent of Asian Americans aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in college compared with 44 percent of whites, 32 percent of African Americans, and 25 percent of Hispanics and American Indians respectively.

Additional Findings:

High School Completion

• The high school completion rate for African Americans aged 18 to 24 remained relatively flat over the past two decades at about 76 percent.
• Despite improving their rate of high school completion from 59 percent to 68 percent, Hispanics still had the lowest rate among all racial/ethnic groups.
• Asian Americans had the highest rate of high school completion at 91 percent.

College Enrollment

• College enrollment among African Americans rose by 46 percent between 1995 and 2005 to nearly 2 million students. 
• The increase in Hispanic enrollment led all racial/ethnic groups, up by 66 percent to more than 1.7 million students. Hispanic enrollment grew faster at four-year institutions than at two-year institutions. 
• Asian-American enrollment increased to more than 1 million over the 10-year period between 1995 and 2005, up 37 percent. 
• American Indian enrollment grew by 31 percent in the 10-year period, up from nearly 127,000 in 1995 to nearly 167,000 in 2005. 
• Regardless of race, the gender gap in the college enrollment rate continued among young people aged 18 to 24. Thirty-six percent of young men were enrolled in college in 2006 compared with 44 percent of young women. 

“This report demonstrates that educational progress, while significant, is not keeping pace with the changing demographic realities,” said Mikyung Ryu, assistant director in ACE’s Center for Policy Analysis and author of the report.

“The Status Report is an important resource to increase perspective and enlighten dialogue about the progress that has been made in access to education,” said GE Foundation President Bob Corcoran. “The GE Foundation applauds ACE’s research in this area.”  

College Persistence

• College persistence rates declined slightly, and these declines were more pronounced for students who began at two-year institutions, especially for Hispanics. 
• Among students who began at two-year institutions in 1995 and 2003, 55 percent of the 2003 freshmen were still enrolled or had attained a certificate or degree anywhere in higher education three years later, compared with 60 percent for the 1995 cohort. For Hispanics, this rate dropped sharply from 62 percent to 54 percent.
• Among students who began at a four-year institution in 1995 and 2003, 81 percent of the 2003 cohort persisted, compared to 83 percent of the 1995 cohort.

Degrees Conferred

• Minorities outpaced whites in the percentage change in total degrees awarded at all levels over the past decade. Minority women showed stronger gains than minority men at all degree levels. 
• The number of minorities earning associate degrees between 1995 and 2005 grew 84 percent to just over 201,000. The number of minorities earning bachelor’s degrees over the same period grew 65 percent to 355,000.
• Hispanics nearly doubled the number of bachelor’s degrees received over the last decade to more than 105,000. Hispanics also made dramatic gains in doctoral degrees earned, rising from 950 in 1995 to more than 1,700 in 2005, an increase of 83 percent. 
• African Americans more than doubled the number of master’s degrees earned from nearly 25,000 in 1995 to nearly 53,000 in 2005. During the same period, the number of doctoral degrees earned by African Americans increased 84 percent from nearly 1,600 to nearly 2,900.
• During the past decade the number of Asian-American men receiving doctoral degrees dropped by 10 percent, while the number of Asian-American women receiving these degrees increased by 74 percent.

Degrees Conferred by Field

• In recent years, minorities and whites both experienced declines in the number of bachelor’s degrees earned in computer sciences. They also lost ground in engineering over the decade at the doctoral degree level.

Employment in Higher Education 

• Although minorities have made gains as college faculty, administrators and presidents over the last decade, whites still fill the overwhelming majority of these positions.
• In 2005, minorities represented 17 percent of all college administrators; 16 percent of full-time faculty and 13 percent of college presidents.

For the fifth year, the Status Report includes a CD-ROM which features data tables and highlights from the report as well as charts suitable for use in presentations. The full report will be available later this month. Advance orders can be placed via the ACE web site.

Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.

The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to solve some of the world's most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, it supports U.S. and international education, the environment, public policy, human rights and disaster-relief around the globe. In addition, the GE Foundation supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2007, the GE family including businesses, employees, retirees and GE Foundation contributed more than $225 million to community and educational programs, including $93 million from the GE Foundation. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com.

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