Enrollment rates in higher education institutions are on the rise among Hispanic students in the United States. Recent data from the Pew Research Center shows that 2.3 million Hispanics ages 18-24 enrolled in two- and four-year degree programs in 2014; that number represents an increase of 13% since 1993. This increase in higher education attendance is attributed, in large part, to the increase in the nation's Hispanic population and a marked decrease in the high school dropout rate in that population . According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of college students who identify as Hispanic increased from 4% to 17%between 1976 and 2014. Hispanic students reached a new milestone in 2012 when, for the first time, more Hispanic high school graduates enrolled in college than their Caucasian counterparts. The United States Census Bureau estimates that nearly one in four college-age adults will identify as Hispanic in 2020.
However, persistent educational challenges continue to affect the Hispanic community. Many Hispanic college students are from low-income families, and tuition rates for in-state students at public universities increased 296% between 1995 and 2015. As a result, many of these students are forced to take out loans to pay for their studies. Those loans come with rising interest rates and minimum monthly payments that can affect borrowers for decades.
Pew Research data shows that 22% of young Hispanic families have outstanding student debt. Although this represents the lowest debt rate among student racial groups, it should be noted that about half of Hispanic students complete their education at two-year community or technical institutions. Those programs tend to be much less expensive than four-year programs, but they're also less likely to help students secure meaningful employment after graduation. By 2014, only 15% of Hispanics between the ages of 25 and 29 had a college degree in any area.