The Racial Disparity Within College Graduation Rates  By: Rochelle Hall

Graduation day. We’re all looking forward to it. We are striving to be counted amongst those who have fought the good fight and stuck it out until the end, but according to statistics, less than half of you will make it across the stage…

As the number of minorities increase in the U.S., their college graduation rates have continuously been on the decline. The college graduation rates for Black students are staggeringly low and the problem has not gone unnoticed. February 2010, The Daily Beast published an article entitled “Why Minority Students Don’t Graduate From College”, where Hilary Pennington, director of postsecondary programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said, “If you look at who enters college, it now looks like America… but if you look at who walks across the stage for a diploma, it’s still largely the white, upper-income population”. If that doesn’t hit close to home, then answer me this: What institutions do you think have the lowest graduation rates in the country? …Yes. You’ve guessed it. Historically Black colleges and universities. While Spelman College has the largest graduation rate at 77%, the same list includes University of the District of Columbia where the rate is only at an abysmal 8% where African-American students graduate with their Bachelor’s degree within a six-year period, if at all.

There are many factors that may play a part in the results of the data collected. Many minorities from low-income families as well as students from high schools that lack the proper resources make up a large portion of those that fail to advance and succeed in college settings. Though these numbers are based on case by case problems, there comes a point where, in searching for a solution, we cannot solely place the blame on the individual students. While HBCUs (having a predominantly African-American student body) have graduation rate percentages easily in the 20s and 30s, their PWI (predominantly White institution) counterparts including those of Ivy League standing almost have no differential gap between non-White and White students. Some say that this is because these institutions are more selective in their choices for which non-White students to accept in order to maintain diversity on campus. “It is our responsibility, given our place in the world, to reach out and attract students to come to our kinds of places,” boasts Barry Mills, president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Indeed it is, Mr. Brunswick, and I am sure affirmative action thanks you for your efforts.

But if the problem is insufficient funds and information amongst the Black communities, what solutions are available, if any? We all know that the cost of a college education is slowly increasing. Over 75% of Bowie State University students receive financial aid to cover the cost to matriculate through their postsecondary institution. Those from low to lower middle income families will be paying off student loans well into their 30s whether they have received a degree or not. Something must be done while there is still a chance. Amy Wilkins from the nonprofit advocacy group Education Trust says, “The school gets to keep the money, but the kid leaves with loads of debt and no degree and no ability to get a better job. Colleges are not holding up their end.” I strongly suggest peer counseling. Being assigned to a current student upon acceptance as a way for recent high school graduates to easily transition into the microcosm of “real life” that is college. Affirming and reaffirming that in spite of the statistics out there, the goal entering college should not have been to GO to college, but to attend and FINISH College.

I HAVE started and I WILL finish. See you on graduation day, bulldogs!