Pew Center Report: Record Number Of Latino Kids In College

There are more Latino kids in college than ever thanks to a 24-percent spike in enrollment in just one year that also helped the U.S. reach all-time high levels of enrollment of 18-to-24 year olds by October 2010, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center report. Latinos are now the biggest minority group on campuses.

The surge, driven in part by rising Latino population and increased educational attainment, means that Latinos made up 1.8 million of the 12.2 million total college-age kids in two- and four-year colleges in 2010, of 15 percent, according to the report, which analyzed recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

With a growth in college enrollment of young people of 349,000, compared with an increases of 88,000 blacks, there are now more young Latinos in college than young blacks (who number 1.7 million) by a slight margin. Hispanics, 46 percent of whom attend two-year colleges, continue to lag behind blacks in four-year-college enrollment. In the same one-year period ending in October 2010, white enrollment dipped by 320,000, partly the product of the white 18-24 population peaking in 2008, the report says.

While population increase among the age group has seen a rise in Latinos by 1.6 million since 2000, compared to 1.5 million for all other groups combined, the rise in enrollment can largely be attributed to an uptick in high school completion, whether by graduation or GED. Completion stood at 73 percent in October 2010, up 3 percent from October 2009.

In October 2010, 44 percent of young Latino high school graduates were enrolled in college, up from 39 percent the year before—a record.

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Comments

[sks504]

11:56 AM on 08/27/2011

How many on the taxpayer's dime?

[KGP]

01:57 PM on 08/28/2011

Not as many as white people getting Perkins/Stafford loans.

[Ephom]

11:44 AM on 08/27/2011

It great to see articles like these. More people in college is good for Everyone

[Bryneen Gary]

11:21 AM on 08/26/2011

Good Stuff!!!!

[mrh85]

09:46 AM on 08/26/2011

Great!! It is wonderful to see more minorities get an education!

[blood1]

09:28 AM on 08/26/2011

Best of luck to all students. Actually luck has nothing to do with it. Any individual who is able to stay focused and study can succeed in college.

Naysayer: "O woe is me" that this is only because of state funding. DUH! What is this individual trying to say: Only those who can afford college on their own should be able to attend college? If so, this is the argument used to make sure that is meant to further divide our country into haves and havenots. Wasn't that the similar argument used to discourage women from attending college - they need to stay home and raise families?

[PuertoRicanprincess]

09:02 AM on 08/26/2011

Good for them, me being one and an american citizen don't go to college, why? I ask myself the same question, no i don't have babies.

[Viper1st]

06:45 AM on 08/26/2011

I assert, the reason for increased Latino college enrollment ~ not stated in this article

Is due to increased U.S. Taxpayer post-secondary tuition subsidies obtainable in 12 of the 50 States

[americawasgreatonce]

04:39 AM on 08/26/2011

Great, should we now remove the special quotas so all are accepted on merit only?

[Arcelio Martinez]

11:26 PM on 08/25/2011

I (for one) hope they do not forget from whence they came and honor their predecessors

[Trickery]

09:14 PM on 08/25/2011

I don't know, not to fond of going on "Snickers Bar Hunger" sponsored statistics. They told me 86 percent of "ladies of the evening" won't steal your wallet after sex :/

[MA2AW]

08:16 PM on 08/25/2011

Try paying your way, then call me. My degree cost me alittle over 35,000$.

[JacksonHts]

11:57 PM on 08/25/2011

Want some cheese with the whine?

[Jayjaybe]

12:33 AM on 08/26/2011

You didn't need to pay that much. Your choice.

[graceaustin]

06:29 PM on 08/25/2011

Great. If this country is to survive, education must be a top priority.

[specultr]

09:12 PM on 08/25/2011

Just hope there are jobs when they finish. My wife is going back to college to finish a degree in actuarial science. It feels like rolling the dice accumulating a lot of debt with this economy.

[graceaustin]

10:01 PM on 08/25/2011

You'll be fine. Even if you lost it all, you can start over. College is tough. Hide your fears, and support your wife 1000%. ( I'm sure you do and don't need me to tell you).