ABSTRACT
Over the past decade there has been a dramatic shi in the composition of undergraduate students attending college in the United States. Beginning in the late 1990s, and continuing into the early twenty-rst century, the college student population is as diverse as it has ever been. Today, almost 25 percent of students are coming from underrepresented (African American, Latino/a, Asian American, and Native American) or disadvantaged backgrounds and more than 40 percent of the entire student enrollment is over the age of 24 (Saunders & Bauer, 1998). e increase of diversity in higher education has created new dynamics between and within student groups. More stringent admissions standards have resulted in decreased access and aordability for minority groups (Osei-Ko & Rendón, 2005). is has forced many students to consider alternative educational settings.
