Compiled from American Council on Education Materials
 

Washington, DC (September 23, 2002) - The number of students of color enrolling and graduating from the nation's colleges and universities continues to climb steadily, according to an annual status report released today by the American Council on Education's (ACE) Office of Minorities in Higher Education (OMHE). Enrollment by students of color jumped 48.3 percent from 1990 to 1999.

Minorities in Higher Education 2001-02: Nineteenth Annual Status Report, made possible by a grant from the GE Fund, contains an ACE analysis of the latest education data available on high school completion, college participation, educational attainment, college enrollment, degrees conferred, and trends in higher education employment, by race and ethnicity. Sources of the data sets used in the report included the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). William B. Harvey, vice president and director of the ACE Office of Minorities in Higher Education, is the author of this year's report.

According to the report, postsecondary enrollment for students of color rose by 3.3 percent between 1998 and 1999 (the last year for which data is available) - continuing a trend of modest increases that began in the early 1990s. The latest number is a slight improvement over last year when enrollment rose by 3.2 percent.

The report also shows that students of color have experienced gains in all four categories of academic degree attainment. In 1999, students of color experienced combined increases of 11.7 percent in the number of associate degrees they earned, 5.8 percent at the bachelor's degree level, 8.1 percent at the master's degree level, 2.5 percent at the doctoral level, and 3.4 percent at the first-professional degree.

"While the Minorities in Higher Education report shows increases in the college participation and degree attainment rates of African-American and Hispanic students, it also reveals persisting gaps and disparities in educational access, opportunity, and attainment between members of these groups and their white counterparts," said David Ward, president of ACE. "Ultimately, it is in all of our interests to address this issue and to promote a stronger, more diverse citizenry and workforce."

According to statistics from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the graduation rate for African Americans at Division I colleges and universities rose one percentage point to 38 percent and the rate for American Indians increased by 1 percentage point to 38 percent in 2000. The rate for Asian Americans remained at 66 percent while the graduation rate for Hispanics dipped by 2 percentage points to 46 percent.

"A diverse, well-educated populace is essential to our continued economic competitiveness and our growth and development as a society," said Roger Nozaki, senior program manager at the GE Fund, which supported this year's Status Report. "Access to high-quality higher education must continue to be a top national priority."

Major Findings of the 2001-02 Status Report

Although as a group, students of color posted gains in many postsecondary education categories, the level of this progress often varied significantly among the ethnic groups. In general, African Americans and Hispanics continue to lag behind their white counterparts, Asian Americans continue to outpace other students in several categories, and the number of American Indians enrolled in postsecondary studies remains low. In addition, the report shows that women of color continue to outpace their male counterparts in enrollment and degree attainment.

• College participation rates for African-American high school graduates, ages 18-24, remained steady at 39.4 percent in 2000, after falling nearly a full percentage point in 1999 from the 40.6 percent recorded in 1998. In comparison, the rate for Hispanics increased by nearly 5 percentage points to 36.5 percent in 2000, after declining by 2 percentage points to 31.8 percent in 1999 from the 34.1 percent recorded in 1998.

   
• College participation rates for all high school graduates, ages 18-24, declined slightly in both 1999 and 2000, falling from 45.3 percent in 1998 to 43.5 in 1999 to 43.3 in 2000. The participation rate for white students also has declined slightly to from 45.2 percent in 1998 to 43.7 in 1999 to 43.2 in 2000.

   
• African-American women continue to be more likely than their male counterparts to participate in higher education - and the gender gap is widening. With 43.9 percent of African-American women participating in higher education, an increase of 4 percentage points, the gap between women and men has stretched to 10 percentage points - 33.8 percent of African-American men participate in higher education.

   
• Hispanic women also continue to be more likely than their male counterparts to participate in higher education, but the gap is narrowing. The rate for Hispanic men rose 5 percentage points to 34.2 percent while the rate for women climbed 4 points to 38.6 percent, resulting in a narrowing of the gender gap from 6 points in 1999 to 4.4 points in 2000.

• College enrollment by Hispanics rose 4.7 percent in 1998-99; African Americans, 3.3 percent; Asian Americans, 2.9 percent, and American Indians by 1 percent. In 1999, African Americans represented nearly 11 percent of all college students, while Hispanics made up 9 percent of the student population; Asian Americans, 6 percent; and American Indians, 1 percent. White students represented about 70 percent of enrollment and international students represented 3 percent.
• The majority of students of color attended lower-priced public colleges and universities in 1999 - nearly 80 percent compared with 76 percent of white students. However, enrollment among students of color rose by 6.7 percent at independent colleges and universities, and by 2.4 percent at public institutions from 1998 to 1999.

Degrees Conferred

• Students of color continue to be underrepresented in degree attainment. In 2000, they earned 21.8 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded, however, they accounted for more than 28 percent of all undergraduates.

Employment Trends
 

• Higher education employment trends show that faculty of color have made some strides. The number of full-time faculty of color employed at the nation's postsecondary institutions rose by 8.3 percent between 1997 and 1999 (the year for which the latest statistics are available), compared to an increase of 2.5 percent for whites. However, faculty of color made up 14.4 percent of all full-time faculty in 1999.
• While the number of faculty of color at the full professor level declined by 1 percent (1.4 percent decline for whites), progress was made at other levels including 7.9 percent growth at associate professor, 7.2 percent increase at assistant professor, and 24.5 percent increase in the number of instructors/lecturers. The increases among minorities were greater than for overall gains for all faculty.
   

• College enrollment by students of color increased by 48.3 percent from 1990 to 1999, including a gain of 14.8 percent since 1995.
• From 1990 to 1999, the number of Hispanic students enrolled in higher education increased more than 68 percent.
• The number of Asian American students enrolled in higher education increased by 59 percent from 1990 to 1999, with most of the growth occurring prior to 1994.
• The number of American Indian students enrolled in higher education increased by 41 percent from 1990 to 1999. From 1995 to 1999, American Indian student enrollment has increased by more than 11 percent at four-year institutions and by nearly 10 percent at two-year institutions.