Economy Influences Minority Students’ College Choice, Survey Finds

The survey, conducted by the National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA) and higher education consulting and research firm Maguire Associates, asked a group of 1,832 junior and senior high school students: How will the current state of the economy influence your college choice?

African American and Latino students were nearly 50 percent more likely than their White counterparts to say that the current state of the economy would influence their choice of which college to attend. According to the survey, 68 percent of Black students, 67 percent of Latino students, 46 percent of White students and 54 percent of all students polled said the economy would have at least a “moderate” affect on their decision.

“Financing higher education for students is a challenge many families face, especially those in disadvantaged minority populations,” says Don M. Munce, president of NRCCUA. “This study shows that most minority students realize that some options for their higher education are related to the economy’s impact on family financing, while over half the Caucasian students don’t.”