Number of Hispanic College Students Jumps 24% since '09

Photo Credit: cityyear

From the Orlando Sentinel:

"The number of young Hispanics attending two- and four-year colleges has reached an all-time high of 1.8 million, with Latino enrollment increasing 24 percent between 2009 and 2010, a study released today by the Pew Hispanic Center showed.

As a result, Hispanics outnumbered young blacks on campuses for the first time, although African-American enrollment has posted steady gains for several years now.

The tremendous growth in the Hispanic population is only one reason behind the gain, according to the study, which was based on census data. The Hispanic college-age population — defined in the study as those between 18 and 24 — grew in the same period by 7 percent, yet college enrollment grew much faster.

Researchers found that the sluggish economy has served as an incentive for young Hispanics to attend college because there are so few job options for them after high school.

Another contributing factor, the study pointed out, is that the high school graduation rate for Latinos has improved, climbing during the same period from 70 percent to 73 percent.

At 16 percent of the total U.S. population, Hispanics are the nation's biggest minority group, according to census data."

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