College readiness is a national policy priority in the United States, yet relatively little is known from large national samples about the factors and experiences that determine college readiness for historically underrepresented minorities at 4-year colleges and universities. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors and experiences that influence various measures of college readiness for historically underrepresented or underserved minorities (URMs) at 4-year colleges and universities using data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002). Using multivariate statistics and hierarchical linear regression techniques, the author examines the following questions: (a) Are there differences among historically underrepresented groups in their level of college readiness? and (b) What factors significantly predict URMs’ college readiness as measured by high school GPA, 12th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standardized math score, and 12th grade highest math level? Implications for future policy, practice, and research are highlighted.
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