Minority groups in Ore. still face college barriers

Minority groups still face barriers in paying for and completing degrees at Oregon’s public colleges and universities, amid overall mixed results for college students and graduating high school seniors, according to a new state report.

Despite a slowly rising completion rate for college students statewide, the report released by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission identified what it called significant gaps especially along lines of race and ethnicity. Some groups in the report were as much as 40 percent less likely to graduate, and others were more likely to report financial difficulties.

“We must do better as a state at eliminating disparities and improving affordability and success for all students,” said Ben Cannon, head of the commission, in a news release accompanying the report.

At community colleges in Oregon, 59 percent of Asian American students and 47 percent of white students completed a degree or credential or transferred within three years in 2016-17, but only 42 percent of black students and 41 percent of Latino/Hispanics managed the same. For Native American/Alaska Native students, the rate was 36 percent.

Overall at all public colleges and universities in the state, 66 percent of Asian American college students and 51 percent of white students graduating within six years, but only 45 percent of black students and 37 percent of Native American students did so.

Statewide, affordability issues were more evenly spread, although still disparate, with Asian American and Hispanic/Latino students facing the largest gaps. Fifty-four percent of Asian American and 48 percent of Hispanic/Latino community college students said they were unable to meet expenses with their expected resources, according to data. For blacks, Native American/Alaskan Natives and whites, the figures were 45 percent, 44 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

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