The National Science Foundation recently released its annual data on doctoral degree recipients in the United States. Data for the annual Survey of Earned Doctorates shows that universities in the United States conferred 57,862, doctorates in 2023, up slightly from the previous year. Of these, 3,451 were earned by Black students, the highest number in history and up slightly from the previous year. But nearly 21 percent of all doctorates earned by Black students at U.S. universities went to foreign students.
If we restrict the data to U.S. citizens and permanent residents of this country, we find that 2,725 African Americans earned doctorates from U.S. universities in 2023. This is the highest number ever recorded. African Americans earned 4.7 percent of all doctorates awarded by U.S. universities in 2023 and 7.7 percent of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens or permanent residents of this country. This is just more than half the percentage that would exist if racial parity in doctoral awards was achieved.
Of the 2,725 African Americans who earned doctorates from U.S. universities in 2023, 1,718 were women. Thus, women earned 63 percent of all doctorates awarded to African Americans in 2023.
