New Data on the Racial Gap in College Dropouts

The United States Department of Education recently published a new report examining the progress in higher education of students who entered college just four years ago in the fall of 2003.

The data shows that only 15 percent of both blacks and whites who entered college or other postsecondary educational institution in the fall of 2003 had obtained some sort of degree or educational certification over the next four years. These figures include black and white students who enrolled in community colleges and earned two-year associate’s degrees during this period.

Nearly 54 percent of white students who entered college in the fall of 2003 had not earned a degree of any type within four years but were still enrolled in higher education. For blacks, 41.1 percent of those who enrolled in 2003 were still enrolled in higher education but had yet to earn a degree of any type. Slightly more than 31 percent of white students who entered college in the fall of 2003 had dropped out of college without a degree and were no longer enrolled in higher education. For blacks, 43.4 percent had dropped out of school without earning a degree.