Race on Campus: Hispanic educational attainment is growing. How do colleges keep it that way?

Welcome to Race on Campus. This week we are taking a closer look at U.S. Census numbers on Hispanic student college enrollment, and what colleges are doing to keep them enrolled. If you have ideas, comments, or questions about this newsletter, write to me: fernanda@chronicle.com.

Nearly one in five traditional-age college students are Hispanic

The number of Hispanic or Latino college students is exploding. To be specific, nearly one in five college students ages 18 to 24 identify as being of Hispanic or Latino origin, according to an analysis released by the U.S. Census Bureau this month.

The Census found that across all Hispanic-origin groups, the rate of college attendance between 18- to 24-years-olds increased between 2 and 12 percentage points. Census guidelines say that origin refers to a person’s heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth or the country that their parents or ancestors left before their arrival in the United States.

But the number of Hispanic students enrolled in college dropped slightly between 2019 and 2021 — during the Covid-19 pandemic. Numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center also showed a similar dip.

The pandemic disproportionately affected people of color, including Hispanic students. Deborah A. Santiago, chief executive and director of Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit group that focuses on Hispanic educational attainment, said that when there was a loss in Hispanic student enrollment during the pandemic years, experts had predicted even greater growth. Hispanic student enrollment wasn’t supposed to remain stagnant in that time, and in part, that’s why many institutions feel this loss.

“While we did see drops, it disproportionately was a negative drop for us because we were expected to grow while the white population was expected to decrease already,” Santiago said.

The Hispanic and Latino population in the United States also skews younger, according to Census data. A majority of Hispanic adults were between 25 and 34 years old in 2021. A large, young population is a group that’s primed to go to college, Santiago said.

Advocates eye new retention strategies

Now the trick is getting these students to enroll and stay in college.

Hispanic students enrolled in colleges now often differ from those who came through higher ed before the pandemic, Santiago said. For example, some colleges are focusing on helping students go from full time to part time to make college more affordable and accommodate their schedules, Santiago said.

Some colleges, like Long Beach City College, are working with Excelencia to enroll and support more Hispanic students.

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