Tracking African American Progress in Higher Education

The U.S. Department of Education has released a comprehensive new report documenting the status and progress of racial and ethnic groups in the nation’s education system. The 188-page report is entitled, Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2016.

While much of the data in the report regarding African Americans in higher education has been reported on JBHE.com and in other news outlets previously, the report is valuable as it offers a wide-ranging summary of most of the important educational statistics on enrollment, financial aid, graduation rates, degree attainments etc. as they pertain to race, all in one place.

Here are some of the highlights of the report pertaining to African Americans in higher education.

• About 42 percent of Whites ages 18 to 24 are enrolled in college, compared to 34 percent of African Americans.
• From 1990 to 2013, the largest increases in undergraduate enrollment occurred among Blacks and Hispanics.
• More than 80 percent of Hispanic students attended state-operated institutions of higher education, compared to 76 percent of Whites and 70 percent of Blacks.
• About 72 percent of African American college students took out loans compared to 56 percent of White students.
• The number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to African Americans increased by 54 percent between 2003 and 2013. For Whites, the percentage increase was 23 percent.