Report grades public colleges on black student access, success

Black citizens account for 14.6% of 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. but only 9.8% of full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates at public colleges and universities, according to a new study from the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center.The study analyzed the experiences of 900,000 black undergraduate students at every four-year, non-specialized, public postsecondary institution in the U.S., and awarded letter grades to each institution and an indexed score to states based on levels of postsecondary access and success for black students.The gap between black female (52%) and male full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates is smaller than the gender gap for all racial and ethnic groups combined, where women account for 56.3% of the total.When looking at graduation rates, 41% of public institutions graduate one-third or fewer black students within six years, compared to 50.6% of undergraduates overall. The study also highlighted a shortage of black professors in public higher education, with 40 institutions in the study saying they have no full-time black professors and 44% saying they have hired 10 or fewer full-time black faculty.