FUERZA EN NUMEROS: LATINO REPRESENTION ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND THE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF LATINO STUDENTS

This study uses secondary data to explore the relationship between the percentage of Latinos enrolled in a postsecondary institution and two educational outcomes: graduating within six years and total amount in student loan debt. Research on the concentration of Latino students in higher education have mostly focused on Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). HSIs are accredited postsecondary institutions with a full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of at least 25% Latino undergraduate students, of which at least 50% are low-income (Laden, 2001). This study takes a step back from the HSI designation (HSI vs non-HSI) and is instead centered on a prominent characteristic of an HSI: the percentage of Latinos enrolled in an institution. This study utilizes data from three different secondary data sources: the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002); the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS12/17); and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Both the ELS:2002 and the BPS 12/17 are merged separately with the IPEDS data ultimately producing two student-level datasets, equipped with institution-level information. Using this data, separate sets of regression analyses are conducted for each sample to assess the impact Latino enrollment at a postsecondary institution has on the probability of graduating within six years and the total amount of student loan debt. This study explores these associations with the notion that the mechanism through which an increase in percent Latino would benefit Latino students is through the facilitation of social inclusion and co-ethnic solidarity which may ground the student to the institution. However, it is conceivable that the structure of that solidarity and access to membership is not just a function of the size of the Latino population. This study finds it is not. We cannot conclusively confirm a positive association between the percentage of Latinos enrolled in a postsecondary institution and its effects on the educational outcomes of Latino students. However, Latinos continue to make up a large share of college students and regardless of recruitment efforts by postsecondary institutions, their participation in higher education is expected to increase. Therefore, attention should continue to be placed on what postsecondary institutions are doing to retain their Latino students.