Beyond the Tipping Point: Searching for a New Vision for Latino College Success in the United States

Abstract

While Latinos have seen an increase in college enrollment and attainment over the last decade, completion rates relative to non-Hispanic whites are stagnant, resulting in a steady or widening gap in the attainment of college degrees. This article summarizes research related to Latinos’ college success, highlighting the promise of Latino-attentive approaches for boosting college completion. We elaborate on how parental and teacher contributions and behaviors, family-level considerations of costs and benefits, and the value of a college degree at a community level present opportunities to increase Latinos’ attainment of postsecondary degrees. We also present an original multivariate assessment that indicates how the presence of Hispanic-serving institutions and in-state resident tuition benefits for immigrant students may raise the odds of college enrollment and completion rates for Latinos. Our findings suggest that incorporating Latino-attentive policies are beneficial to college completion among Latinos.