Understanding the Gap Between Entry and Exit: A Cohort Analysis of African American Students' Persistence

Abstract

In American society today, a college education is perceived as a status symbol, a measure of academic achievement, and the beginning of professional and monetary opportunity. For African American and other underrepresented minority groups, a college degree is particularly important. Many African Americans who earn college degrees enter professional careers; thus, education is a means to cross barriers and realize progress as well as a bridge to institutional development and national growth. Gaining equal access to quality education has long presented a formidable challenge to minority students in the United States. Despite recent increases in graduation rates among African American high school students, the number of African American students enrolling in college and subsequently receiving baccalaureate degrees is declining. It is not enough for African American students to simply enroll in institutions of higher education; enrollment does not necessarily result in degree attainment. Of the African American students who do enroll in college, many do not stay long enough to graduate. Given the significance of a college degree, African American student retention should be a priority for colleges and universities.