Black Student College Graduation Rates Inch Higher

The nationwide graduation rate for all black students at the more than 320 large universities that make up Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association increased from 40 percent in 2004 to 42 percent in 2005. The graduation rate for white students at these schools increased from 61 percent to 62 percent. Therefore, the graduation rate gap decreased by one percentage point. But this small improvement does not detract from the fact that the racial college graduation rate gap remains very large.

If we include data on gender, we find that over the past year the college graduation rate for black men increased from 34 percent to 35 percent. For black women, the college graduation rate increased from 45 percent to 46 percent.

Note: The graduation rate is determined by comparing the number of students who entered a particular institution with those who earned their four-year degree at the same institution within six years

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.