Second generation Latinas close gap with whites in college enrollment

Second-generation Latinas are enrolling in college at the same rate as third-generation non-Hispanic white women, but they are not completing their education at a comparable rate, according to a new study of immigrant-origin young adults released Tuesday by the Migration Policy Institute.

Latinas have a 46 percent college enrollment rate, roughly the same as non-Latina white women, but when it comes to obtaining a degree, Latinas lag behind by 18 percent. Slightly more than 50 percent of non-Latina white women obtain their degree, compared with Latinas at 33 percent, according to the study.

“Second-generation Hispanics are closing the gap in terms of access to higher education, but there remain large disparities in completing college, largely because of family, work and economic reasons,” said MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix, a co-author of the study.

“This is particularly significant because our research shows that wages rise with every level of education. Second-generation Hispanic women with at least a bachelor’s degree earn on average $10 more per hour than those with a high school degree.” READ MORE