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Students of Color Make Dramatic Gains in College Enrollment but Still Trail Whites in the Rate at Which They Attend College

Washington, DC (October 30, 2006)—Total minority enrollment at the nation’s colleges and universities rose by 50.7 percent to 4.7 million students between 1993 and 2003, according to the Minorities in Higher Education Twenty-second Annual Status Report (2006) released today by the American Council on Education (ACE). Students of color made up 27.8 percent of the nearly 17 million students on America’s college campuses, up from 21.8 percent in 1993.

Although students of color made significant gains in college enrollment, African American and Hispanic students still lag behind their white peers in the rate at which they enroll in college. In 2002-04, 47.3 percent of white high school graduates age 18 to 24 attended college compared with 41.1 percent of African Americans and 35.2 percent of Hispanics.

The Minorities in Higher Education Twenty-second Annual Status Report, made possible with support from the GE Foundation, is widely recognized as the national source of information on advances made by students of color in higher education. The report summarizes high school completion and college participation rates, college enrollments, educational attainment, degrees conferred and higher education employment.

“As I look at this report I am pleased to see people of color making gains in college enrollment and degree attainment over the 10 years covered in the report, but I am more struck by the gaps that still persist and believe they only hold our nation back politically and economically,” said ACE President David Ward. “Our nation faces many global challenges—among them are those related to national security, energy policy, and healthcare—and our answers to each will depend on the creativity and innovation of an educated citizenry and workforce.  That makes our educational system a matter of national priority and means we cannot afford to leave anyone behind.”

The Status Report uses data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau. The Status Report no longer relies on data from tables constructed by NCES. Instead the report uses data calculated from author analysis of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). 

Among the Report’s Major Findings:

High School Completion Rate

• The high school completion rate for African Americans age 18 to 24 rose two percentage points from 75.6 percent in 1992-94 to 77.8 percent in 2002-04, while the rate for Hispanics showed the largest increase up from 56.6 percent in 1992-94 to 64.4 percent in 2002-04. Hispanics still trail whites and African Americans in high school completion. The high school completion for whites was 87.6 percent in 2002-04, up from 85.6 percent in 1992-94.
• The gender gap between male and female Hispanics widened dramatically between 1992-94 and 2002-04, with Hispanic women increasing their high school completion rate by 8.2 percentage points to 70.1 percent compared to a 59.6 percent high school completion rate for Hispanic males, or an increase of 4.6 percentage points. 

College Enrollment

• College enrollment among African Americans rose by 42.7 percent between 1993 and 2003 to total more than 1.9 million students. 
• The increase in Hispanic enrollment led all racial/ethnic groups, up by 68.8 percent to more than 1.6 million students. The fastest growth occurred at four-year institutions where Hispanic enrollment grew by 75.1 percent, compared with a 64.2 percent increase at two-year institutions. 
• Hispanics accounted for 41 percent of the new minority students over the past 10 years. African Americans accounted for 37 percent of new minority students.
• Asian-American enrollment increased to more than 987,000 over the 10-year period between 1993 and 2003, up 43.5 percent.  
• American Indian enrollment grew by 38.7 percent in the 10-year period, up from more than 117,000 in 1993 to nearly 163,000 in 2003. 
• There was a 50 percent increase in American Indian enrollment at four-year institutions, signifying a major shift in the enrollment of these students. 
• Regardless of race, the gender gap in college enrollment continues among all students.
• Between 1993 and 2003, the number of students whose race/ethnicity is unknown increased by 114 percent to total slightly more than 1 million.

“We live in an era where the U.S. economy is increasingly reliant on a more educated and racially and ethnically diverse workforce, a sentiment echoed in the report issued by the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education,” said Bryan J. Cook, associate director of ACE’s Center for Policy Analysis and co-author of the report. “While the increasing number of minority students enrolled in and graduating from college is positive, the persisting gaps in the college enrollment rates of white, African American and Hispanic students suggest that there is still much work to be done.”
 
"Although minority students have made great strides in the numbers of students completing high school and enrolling in college the Status Report again highlights the ground that remains to be covered in terms of full educational access for students from diverse backgrounds," said GE Foundation President Bob Corcoran. "The GE Foundation applauds the work undertaken by ACE and looks forward to using the report's data to guide its own programs to improve access, equity and quality of education."

Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

For the first time in its 22-year history, the Status Report includes enrollment data for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). In 1995, HSIs totaled 163 two- and four-year colleges and universities and accounted for 39 percent of all Hispanic enrollment. By 2003, the number of HSIs rose to 316 institutions and accounted for more than half of all Hispanic enrollment.

[Because of data limitations, this report defines HSIs as accredited, degree-granting institutions with an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic.]

“In light of the demographic shift taking place in the country and the tremendous growth in the Hispanic population in the United States, we felt it necessary to include data on Hispanic-serving institutions,” said Diana I. Córdova, director of ACE’s Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity, and co-author of the report. “The Status Report has traditionally included data on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities, so including HSI enrollment data is an important addition to this year’s report.”

Additional Key Findings:

College Graduation Rates 

• Among students who began college in 1995–96, Asian-American students had the highest rate of attaining a bachelor’s degree (62.3 percent) within six years, followed by white students (58 percent), Hispanics (42 percent) and African Americans (36.4 percent).
• African-American students were the most likely to have no degree but still be enrolled after five years (25.6 percent), as well as to have left without a degree (30.1 percent).

Degrees Conferred

• The fastest rate of growth occurred at the master’s degree level for both white and minority students.  From 1993-94 to 2003-04, whites earned 21.5 percent more master’s degrees, while minorities earned 105.7 percent more master’s degrees.
• The number of minorities earning associate degrees doubled between 1993-94 and 2003-04. Much of this growth is attributable to increases in the numbers of Hispanics (118.7 percent) and African Americans (80.2 percent) earning associate degrees. 
• At all degree levels, minority women showed stronger gains than minority men.
• African Americans more than doubled the number of master’s degrees earned, from 20,000 in 1993-94 to 45,000 in 2003-04. Hispanics nearly doubled the number of degrees earned at the bachelor’s degree level.
• Asian-American women earned 122.8 percent more master’s degrees in 2003-04 than they had in 1993-94 compared with 65.3 percent growth for Asian-American men.
• The most significant increase for American Indians came at the master’s degree level as well (77.4 percent). 

Degrees Conferred by Field

• Minority growth in bachelor’s degrees earned was greatest in computer sciences (up by 219.5 percent), business (up by 80.4 percent) and social sciences/history (up by 59.3 percent). The largest numerical growth in bachelor’s degrees earned occurred in business; minorities earned 34,000 more business degrees in 2003–04 than they had 10 years earlier.

Professional and Doctoral Degrees

• Minority women earned an additional 6,100 professional degrees between 1993-94 and 2003-04, which was a greater increase than white women who earned an additional 4,000 professional degrees.
• In the last 10 years, the number of doctoral degrees earned by African Americans increased 105.9 percent from 1,300 in 1993-94 to more than 2,700 in 2003-04. 
• Hispanics also made dramatic gains in doctoral degrees earned, rising from 863 in 1993-94 to more than 1,500 in 2003-04.
• The additional 3,700 professional degrees that Asian Americans earned was the largest numerical increase of any group from 1993-94 to 2003-04.

Employment in Higher Education 

• The number of minority full-time faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities increased steadily, up from 65,000 positions in 1993 to more than 97,000 in 2003, a 50 percent gain. However, minorities still account for less than 20 percent of full-time faculty.
• Hispanics experienced the largest rate of increase in faculty among U.S. citizens, increasing by 66.3 percent or 8,000 faculty members. 
• Asian Americans experienced the largest numerical increase in faculty positions among minorities, increasing by more than 15,800 positions from 1993 to 2003, a 62.8 percent gain.
• American Indians experienced a significant increase in faculty positions, gaining by 981 positions (49.1 percent) to nearly 3,000 positions in 2003.

For the fourth year in a row, the Status Report includes a CD-ROM containing the data files of charts suitable for use in spreadsheets or presentations. Copies of the Minorities in Higher Education Twenty-second Annual Status Report (Item # 311293) are available for $39.95 (plus $8.95 shipping and handling) from the ACE Fulfillment Service, Department 191, Washington, DC 20055-0191 or by calling (301) 632-6757.

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 (http://www.gefoundation.com), the philanthropic foundation of the General Electric Company, invests in improving educational quality and access and in strengthening community organizations in GE communities around the world.  All told, GE, the GE Foundation and GE employees and retirees contributed $220 million to community and educational institutions last year. 

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