Trends in Postsecondary Education - College Trends: Race/ethnicity And Residency

American campuses are becoming more diverse. In 1976, 16% of college students were members of a minority group; by 1996 the figure was 27%. The increase is due to increasing enrollments of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander students. Minorities (including non-resident aliens) made up 12% of bachelor's degree recipients in 1977; they earned 21% of bachelor's degrees awarded in 1995.

In 1999, 17.5% of the African-American population aged 25 to 29 held a bachelor's degree or higher. The figure for Asians/Pacific Islanders was 54%. The figure for American Indians was 9.4%.⁶ The figure for Hispanics was 10%. Even though it is projected that the percentage of Hispanics aged 25 to 29 with a bachelor's degree will increase to 12% by 2010, the educational gap between Hispanics and other groups is a cause for concern because they are the fastest growing minority group. Studies show that in the late 1990's, half of Hispanics living in the United States were born and educated in their native countries, had low levels of education there, and never enrolled in American schools. American-born children of Hispanic immigrants tend to drop out of high school at very high rates (29% compared to 7% for non-Hispanic whites in 1996).

The table below provides 1997-98 degree data by racial ethnic group. Minorities received their highest proportion of degrees at the associate's level (22.4%), and their individual shares dropped at each successive level, except for Asians/Pacific Islanders. The preferred field of study at the associate's level was the same for every group: liberal arts and sciences, a field that usually permits a transfer to a four-year institution.

Percentage Distribution of Degrees Conferred by Racial Ethnic Group: 1997-98

Degree Level	White, non-Hispanic	Black, non-Hispanic	Hispanic	Asian or Pacific Islander	American Indian/Alaskan Native
Associate	76.7	10.0	7.7	4.5	1.1
Bachelor's	79.5	8.3	5.5	6.0	0.7
Master's	82.6	7.7	4.1	8.0	0.5

In the 1990s, the most striking dissimilarities between whites and minority groups at both the bachelor's and master's degree levels were (1) black students were more likely to earn degrees in business management; (2) Hispanic students were more likely to earn bachelor's degrees in humanities and master's degrees in social and behavioral sciences; (3) Asians/Pacific Islanders were more likely to earn degrees in life sciences, computer and information sciences, and engineering; (4) American Indians/Alaskan Natives were more likely to earn bachelor's degrees in education and engineering technologies and master's degrees in social and behavioral sciences; and (5) non-resident aliens were far more likely to earn bachelor's degrees in computer sciences and engineering.

On the topic of non-resident aliens, the Institute of International Education reported a record 547,867 foreign students enrolled at American colleges and universities in 2001, a 6.4% increase over the previous year and the biggest increase since 1980. Where do they come from? In the 1960s Canada was the leader, sending nearly 20% of all international students to the United States. In the late 1970s Iran and Nigeria were the leading countries. In the mid-1980s Taiwan, Malaysia, and Korea were the leading places of origin. In the 1990s the majority of students came from China and India. Coming up next? Most likely, Latin America. Once here, many immigrants decide to stay, offering America "access to the world's best and brightest talent," according to the INS.

Source: Chart: U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred" surveys, and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Completions" surveys. Table: "Percentage Distribution of Degrees Conferred, by Racial Ethnic Group: 1997-98," NCES Fast Facts, retrieved 3/27/02 from http://nces.ed.gov; primary source, Digest of Education Statistics, 2000, Tables 263, 265, 268, 271, and 274. U.S. Census Bureau, "Percent of High School and College Graduates of the Population 15 Years and Over, by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: March 2000," and "Selected Social and Economic Characteristics for the 25 Largest American Indian Tribes: 1990, retrieved 3/27/02 from http://www.census.gov/population. Table: "Georges Vernez and Lee Mizell, "Goal: To Double the Rate of Hispanics Earning a Bachelor's Degree," retrieved 3/27/02 from http://www.rand.org/publications. Institute of International Education data retrieved 3/27/02 from http://www.opendoorsweb.org/.