For the first time, according to a new research report, Hispanics are entering college at a greater rate than white or black students. Their rate of enrollment in college has risen to 70 percent.

The greater interest in college comes as the Latino high school dropout rate has fallen to half of what it was a decade ago, according to the study by the Pew Research Hispanic Center.

The study’s authors speculate that the recession may have induced more students to continue their education.

But a dean at the University of California-Los Angeles said the increased interest in education reflects a generational shift within the Latino population.

“These are U.S.-born kids, and these are kids who have higher ambitions,” said Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, the dean of UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. “They want to do better than their parents.”

The Pew report is more sobering in discussing the fate of Hispanics after they enter college. About half are enrolled in community colleges. For those at four-year colleges, the completion rate among Latinos who are 22 to 24 years old is 11 percent compared to an overall rate of 21 percent.

Dallas News, May 9
NPR, May 14