Inequities Persist: Access and Completion Gaps at Public Flagships in The Great Lakes Region

Public flagship universities were established to provide educational opportunities to state residents and have a responsibility to promote social and economic mobility. But new IHEP research reveals that six of these premier public institutions are failing to enroll and graduate representative shares of their state’s low-income students and students of color. The individual “Equity Snapshots” reveal that, while these universities are enrolling slightly more Black, Latino, and low-income students than in the past, this progress has not kept pace with changing state demographics. In fact, the access gap for Black students is widening at some flagships. Similarly, while most of the schools have raised their completion rates, students of color and low-income students are still less likely to earn degrees than their White and higher-income peers.