Disciplines
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Abstract
Although college enrollment of Latino students has increased over the last decade, this group still lags in attainment of 4-year college degrees. Only 14.5% of Latinos aged and 25 and older had earned a bachelor's degree in 2012 (Lopez & Fry, 2013). Greater educational attainment for Latinos is of significance as levels of educational attainment are associated with quality of life, lifetime earnings, and the country's economy in terms of the overall capacity of its workforce. This brief, based on literature about Latino college success and Latino college student retention, finds that four-year institutions that make a commitment to retaining their first-generation Latino students have higher graduation rates than the national average for these students. In order to foster Latino college completion, these institutions recognize and respond to these students' unique needs by institutionalizing Latino-specific initiatives through providing funding for them within the schools' operational budgets, by developing systems of integrated support, and by fostering inclusive campus climates.
Recommended Citation
Gil, Elizabeth, "First-Generation Latino College Students: Institutional Practices that Support Four-Year College Degree Completion" (2016). GSE Faculty Publications. 7.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/gse_facultypubs/7
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons
