By AFRO Staff

A new study investigates inequity beyond college doors, showing that even Black and Hispanic students who earn tertiary degrees face disparities.

The report, The Neglected College Race Gap: Racial Disparities Among College Completers, which was authored by the Center for American Progress, went beyond the usual examination of education disparities in graduation rates and college access rates. And, in focusing on college graduates, the report found what it called “serious inequities” in areas such as the type of degrees and quality of education.

Among the major findings:

  • Compared with White students, Black and Hispanic graduates are far more likely to have attended for-profit colleges and less likely to have attended four-year public or nonprofit institutions.
  • Black and Hispanic graduates are more likely to attend institutions that have less money to spend on quality education.
  • Black and Hispanic students are less likely to hold degrees in critical fields such as engineering and education, mathematics and statistics, and the physical sciences.

Recommendations from the report include investigating means by which students of color may be discouraged from pursuing certain degrees, such as by higher tuition pricing and poor or biased student advisement.

The authors concluded by saying, “Finding a path to equity in the types of credentials students get is not only a moral imperative for this country but is also crucial to its future success.”

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