A new report from the organization Young Invincibles, examines the disproportionate challenges faced by students of color in pursuing and achieving success in higher education. Young Invincibles was founded in the summer of 2009 to represent the interests of young Americans in the 18-to-34 age group.
The findings show that while overall educational attainment has increased for Black and Latino students, the attainment gaps between these groups and their White peers have actually widened in the last 30 years. Among the key findings of the report are:
- Even after financial aid, Black and Latino families dedicate 48 and 31 percent of their income to the cost of college, respectively, compared to only 24 percent for White families.
- In 2015, just over 36 percent of White adults had completed four years of school. Black and Latino adults’ attainment rate sat at roughly 22 and 15 percent. These gaps have grown wider in the last thirty years.
- Four years after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, Latino students are twice as likely to have defaulted on their loans, while African American students are three and a half times more likely than White peers.
The report makes a series of recommendations on revamping the Pell Grant system, making it easier to repay student loans, offering more child care services on campus, and stronger protections for students against for-profit educational institutions.
The full report, Race & Ethnicity as a Barrier to Opportunity: A Blueprint for Higher Education Equity, may be downloaded by clicking here.
