ABSTRACT
Access to baccalaureate programmes may be initially viewed by examining secondary school graduation rates. These graduates provide the available pool of potential students. In 1970, approximately 60 per cent of African Americans graduated from secondary school, and this increased to approximately 70 per cent by 1980. In contrast, approximately 81 per cent and 83 per cent of white youth graduated in 1970 and 1980 respectively. Thus, the lower secondary school graduation rates initially contribute to the smaller percentage of African Americans enrolled in baccalaureate programmes. Based upon a nationally representative sample of colleges and universities, about 6.2 per cent of the first-year students were African Americans in 1970, 8.4 per cent in 1977, and 8.8 per cent in 1980 (Astin, 1982a: 26). African Americans would need to increase their representation by about 40 per cent to equal that of the general population.
