A new report shows that, across the U.S., the gap between Latino and White, non-Hispanic students who complete their college degree has widened over the last four years, in part because of the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic hardships. The analysis was done through Excelencia in Education, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate Latino student success in higher education.
While more Latino students are enrolled in schools overall, graduation rates have seen “little progress” over the last few years, researchers said.
This year’s Latino College Completion study, conducted every few years, looks at national and state student enrollment in higher education institutions from the 2021-22 school year, and degree completion data from the school year prior, 2020 to 2021. It draws on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, or IPEDS.
Nationwide, just 30% of Latino adults earned an associate degree or higher, compared with 53% of White, non-Hispanic, 39% of Black and 66% of Asian adults, the report said.In California, just 22% of Latino adults age 25 and up earned an associate degree or higher, versus 56% of White, non-Hispanic adults. Until 2018, U.S. Latinos had been earning college degrees at an accelerated rate for about ten years, researchers from Excelencia in Education said.
Latino students were overall more likely to drop out of school when compared with their White peers, the report found. Nationwide, at two-year institutions, 45% of Latino students were no longer enrolled at any school after three years, compared to 38% of White, non-Hispanic students in 2021. At four-year institutions, 31% of Latino students were no longer enrolled at any school after six years, compared to 20% of White, non-Hispanic students in 2021.
Other key takeaways from the 2023 Latino College Completion analysis include:
In California, 24% of Latino adults (ages 18 to 34) were enrolled in higher education, compared to 25% of White non-Latinos. In California, 22% of Latino adults (25 and older) had earned an associate degree or higher, compared to 56% of White non-Latino adults.
Nationally, 1 in 4 students in K-12 and 1 in 5 students enrolled in higher education are Latino.
Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton are among the U.S.’s top five institutions awarding bachelor’s degrees to Latino students.
Cal State Northridge is also the top California college enrolling Latinos, according to the analysis. It is also among the top five institutions in the state awarding bachelor’s degrees, alongside Cal State Fullerton, Cal State LA, East Los Angeles College and Cal State Long Beach, respectively.
Cal State San Bernardino came in at No. 11 in Latino student enrollment, and 9th in awarding baccalaureate degrees in the state.
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