Hispanics and Higher Education: An Overview of Research, Theory, and Practice

Latinos lag behind other groups educationally (Fry, 2004). In 2000, only 10% of Hispanics aged 25–29 had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 34% of Whites and 18% of African-Americans (Llagas & Snyder, 2003). This variation in postsecondary educational attainment has caused substantial labor market inequalities with this population. In contrast to African-Americans who continue to suffer from discrimination that contributes to disparities in earnings, Hispanics are presently paid comparably to Whites given the same amount of education (National Research Council, 2006). This paper gives an overview of the main issues that Latino student face in higher education.