ABSTRACT
In 2012, Latina/o students 18-to 24-years old surpassed their White counterparts as the largest racial/ethnic group enrolled in college. Yet, of the Latina/o students that do pursue higher education in this age cohort, 56% start at a 4-year college compared to 72% for their White peers (Fry & Taylor, 2014). While most Latina/o students start at community college, few transfer out (Núñez & Elizondo, 2013). For example, Radford, Berkner, Wheeless, and Shepard (2010) found only 14% of Latina/o students compared to 36% of White students, had earned a bachelor’s degree or were still attending their 4-year postsecondary institution 6 years later. This finding is disturbing given the majority of Latina/o students declare intentions to transfer (Gándara, Alvarado, Driscoll, & Orfield, 2012). These statistics coupled with the fact that Latina/o students are more likely than White students to pursue higher education part-time and attend less selective institutions help explain why Latina/o students are half as likely as their White peers (11% compared to 22%) to obtain their 4-year degree (Fry & Taylor, 2014).
