Studies show that a college degree can add a million dollars to income over the course of someone’s lifetime. Brookings just released a new report on college enrollment disparities, which analyzes data from 15,000 students who were surveyed in 2009, then 2012 and 2016. Here are some of the key findings:
- The gender gap has reversed: In 1972, 22% of men between the ages of 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree compared to 16% of women in the same age group. In 2022, 35% of men in this age group had a bachelor’s degree compared to 44% of women.
- Racial disparities continue: Asian young adults are more likely to have college degrees (68% today), compared to 45% of white, 28% of Black, and 25% of Hispanic young adults.
- Socioeconomic status is strongly related to college enrollment: 89% of young adults in the highest 20% socioeconomic bracket enrolled in college. They also averaged 3.06 GPA. By comparison, only 51% of young adults in the bottom quintile enrolled in college. Their average GPA was 2.22. Unsurprisingly, socioeconomic status was also correlated with race. Asian students were more likely to be in the top quintile (37%), while Hispanic students were more likely to be in the bottom quintile (38%).
- Academic preparation is the key to college enrollment: While this sounds obvious, when the analysts compared students who were academically prepared (a mixture of test scores, grades, and courses), they found these disparities vanished or abated. Young men and women with the same academic preparation enroll in college at the same rate, and Black, Hispanic, and Asian students enroll in college at a similar rate, about 5 points higher than white students.
You can read the full report here.
Enrollment gaps persist along racial and socioeconomic lines, but a little academic prep goes a long way.
Studies show that a college degree can add a million dollars to income over the course of someone’s lifetime. Brookings just released a new report on college enrollment disparities, which analyzes data from 15,000 students who were surveyed in 2009, then 2012 and 2016. Here are some of the key findings:
Read Full Story
(12)
