Each year, millions of undergraduates receive grant and loan aid that helps them pay for college. Yet, members of different racial and ethnic groups interact with federal, state, and institutional aid systems in very different ways. These differences in how undergraduates pay for college underscore that students of different demographic backgrounds vary widely in their financial circumstances: for many students of color, financial access to college hinges vitally on access to state and federal aid. By the same token, students of color are disproportionately exposed to the risks associated with borrowing for college, and some students’ financial needs remain largely outside the ambit of present federal, state, and institutional aid programs. Finally, undergraduates’ borrowing behavior illustrate how longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in family resources inform the debt burdens that students carry into post-college life.
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Explore Other Indicators
U.S. Population Trends and Educational Attainment
Explores U.S. population growth and differences in educational attainment, by race and ethnicity.
Secondary School
Completion
Examines the racial and ethnic composition of secondary school completers, GED® test performance, and public high school graduation rates.
Enrollment in
Undergraduate Education
Explores patterns in undergraduate enrollment, including where students enroll, program award level, and field of study.
Enrollment in
Graduate Education
Analyzes graduate school enrollment rates and enrollment patterns in graduate education, by race and ethnicity.
Undergraduate Persistence
and Completion
Examines six-year outcomes of undergraduate students and patterns in undergraduate completions, including award level and field of study.
Graduate School
Completion
Explores patterns in graduate student completions, including from where students graduate, award level completed, and field of study.
How Students Finance Undergraduate Study
Illustrates how students finance undergraduate education, including FAFSA completion rates, expected family contribution, borrowing rates, and patterns in borrowing.
How Students Finance
Graduate Study
Illustrates how students finance graduate education, including receipt of grant aid, borrowing rates, and patterns in borrowing.
Spotlight on Minority
Serving Institutions
Examines the characteristics of students enrolled at minority serving institutions (MSIs), along with six-year outcomes of students who start their college education at an MSI.
Postsecondary Faculty
and Staff
Explores the profile of faculty, staff, and executive leadership employed at U.S. postsecondary institutions.
Employment
and Earnings
Analyzes labor force participation, employment, and median annual earnings across levels of educational attainment and occupational fields.
