Who Graduates from College and When? Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in College Completion Patterns

Sigal Alon, Princeton University
Lauren A. Meserve, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

This paper examines racial and ethnic differences in graduation patterns from academically selective colleges and universities in the United States. Although prior research has identified a myriad of individual, familial, social, and institutional factors that determine college persistence and graduation rates, these factors do not fully explain the enduring racial/ethnic graduation gap. In this study we examine the likelihood (as well as the timing) of college completion of blacks, Hispanics, and Asians relative to whites for a cohort of roughly 30,000 students who entered college in the fall of 1989 (based on the College and Beyond database). Our primary goal is to identify institutional practices that may help to ameliorate the low graduation rates of blacks and Hispanics. Specifically, we assess the degree to which varying levels of financial and social/academic supports promote success in college for students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Our results suggest that support mechanisms can facilitate prompt and overall graduation rates and that minority students in selective institutions benefit from social/academic and financial support more than their white and Asian classmates.