Fordham University has been named by the Education Trust as one of the nation’s top private universities for “closing the gap” between white and Hispanic college graduates, the organization announced on Sept. 20.
The University earned a rank of No. 19 among the top 25 universities, based on data that showed that the graduation rates of Fordham’s 13.2 percent Hispanic full-time students rose significantly over a six-year period—from 69 percent in 2004 to 75 percent in 2010.
That rise moved Hispanic students closer to the average graduation rate among Fordham’s majority white undergraduate population, which held steadily over the same six-year period at just under 80 percent.
The good show among Fordham Hispanic undergraduates nabbed the University a mention in the Trust’s latest publication, Advancing to Completion: Increasing Degree Attainment by Improving Graduation Rates and Closing Gaps for Hispanic Students.
Nationwide, the study cites a 14-point gap between Hispanic and white student graduation rates across educational institutions.
Established in 1996, the Education Trust is a Washington, D.C.-based education advocacy group that works for high academic achievement for all students, pre-kindergarten through college, with particular emphasis on closing the gaps in opportunity that exist for many low-income students. Their latest effort spotlights colleges that are “producing better results” by narrowing the graduation rate gaps between white students and students of color.
“Colleges must do more to ensure success for all students, particularly the growing number of black and Latino students in our country. Thankfully, some institutions are showing us that the status quo is not inevitable,” said José Cruz, the organization’s vice president for higher education policy and practice. “The schools we’ve identified provide vivid signposts on the road to boosting graduation rates at colleges and universities across the country.”
