Why Closing Gaps in Graduation Rates Requires a Focus on Enrollment

If every college and university closed the gap that exists in graduation rates between Black and White students on their campuses, there would still be a gap nationwide.

That’s because Black students aren’t as well represented as White students in the more selective colleges and universities that tend to graduate most of their students. Instead, they more often enroll in institutions that don’t serve them as well — which means that, in addition to improving graduation rates, our higher education system must also be focused on improving recruitment and enrollment efforts.

It’s a point well made in our latest report, “A Look at Black Student Success: Identifying Top- and Bottom-Performing Institutions,” which does exactly what it says: highlighting colleges and universities that are doing a good job serving Black students — and those that aren’t.

The full report is available here.