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Almanac 2012

Almanac 2012: Access & Equity

August 26, 2012
Almanac 2012-Section-Access

Efforts to keep higher education affordable for all students and to promote not only access, but success, made the past year one of reckoning for colleges.

The Obama administration’s goal, that by 2020 the United States will once again lead the world in the proportion of adults with a college degree, appeared in numerous reports, rife with recommendations on how to achieve that aim. But progress was slow. | Read More »

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Almanac 2012 »

Access & Equity

Choose a section »

Efforts to keep higher education affordable for all students and to promote not only access, but success, made the past year one of reckoning for colleges.

The Obama administration’s goal, that by 2020 the United States will once again lead the world in the proportion of adults with a college degree, appeared in numerous reports, rife with recommendations on how to achieve that aim. But progress was slow. | Read More »

Highlights

36%

That’s the share of college students nationwide in 2010 who identified themselves as minorities.

9%

Black and Hispanic students each made up that percentage of enrollments at public research institutions in 2010. Together those groups made up almost half the enrollment at for-profit two-year institutions.

11.8%

Asians earned that share of advanced degrees.

18

In that number of states, as well as in the District of Columbia, less than half of students graduated from public four-year institutions within six years.

Interactive Tools

  • Completion

    College Completion

    See who graduates, who doesn’t, and why it matters.

  • Financial Aid

    Who Benefits From the GI Bill?

    Explore where veterans study in the 50 states.

  • Attainment

    Where the Degrees Are

    Find out which metropolitan areas are the most educated.

The Data

Race, Ethnicity, Gender

  • Racial Representation Among College Students, by Type of Institution

  • Degrees Awarded, by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender of Students

  • Minority Representation Among College Students, by State

  • Highest Educational Attainment, by Race and Ethnicity

  • States With the Largest Share of Underrepresented Minorities

College Completion

  • Colleges With the Best 6-Year and 3-Year Graduation Rates

  • Graduation Rates for 4-Year Public Colleges, by State

  • Graduation Rates for 4-Year Private Colleges, by State

  • Graduation Rates for 2-Year Public Colleges, by State

  • Colleges With the Best 4-Year Graduation Rates

Financial Aid

  • Who Benefits From the Post-9/11 GI Bill?

  • Increase in Complaints Against Student-Loan-Debt Collectors

  • State-by-State Distribution of Veterans Getting Benefits Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2010

After Graduation

  • Share of Population With Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, by Major Metropolitan Area

  • Growth in Number of Public-Assistance Recipients With Advanced Degrees

  • Median Annual Earnings, by Highest Level of Education

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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