U.'s black grad rate ranked high among peers
Debbie Lehmann
Issue date: 1/26/07 Section: Campus News
Brown has one of the highest graduation rates for black students among top universities, which University officials say is a result of their efforts to provide a supportive environment for students of color. But the inherent challenges of adjusting to a mostly white institution remain, many students say.
The University has one of the top 10 black student graduation rates among major colleges and universities, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education reported in a recent study. In 2006, Brown's black student graduation rate was 92 percent, up from 89 percent in 1998. The graduation rate for white students at the College was 96 percent.
The study found that Harvard University had the highest black graduation rate, at 95 percent. Amherst, Wellesley and Williams colleges and Princeton University also ranked high on the list, with graduation rates of 94 percent.
Despite a four-percentage-point increase over the past three years, the national black college graduation rate is only 43 percent, while the figure for white students is 63 percent. The report concluded that "little or no progress has been achieved in bridging the divide."
According to Bruce Slater, the managing editor of the journal, the four-point increase is largely due to better financial aid and retention programs that provide help for students at risk of dropping out. But he added that financial differences still account for much of the gap between the graduation rates of white and black students.
"The main difference is money," Slater wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "Most black students who drop out do so because they cannot afford the cost and do not want to accumulate debt."
Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity Brenda Allen said Brown has worked in the past five years to make financial aid packages more competitive. The Sidney Frank Scholars program has allowed the University to provide students from the neediest families with comprehensive financial aid packages. In addition, an increased financial aid budget has allowed the University to provide adequate financial aid packages to more students.
The University has one of the top 10 black student graduation rates among major colleges and universities, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education reported in a recent study. In 2006, Brown's black student graduation rate was 92 percent, up from 89 percent in 1998. The graduation rate for white students at the College was 96 percent.
The study found that Harvard University had the highest black graduation rate, at 95 percent. Amherst, Wellesley and Williams colleges and Princeton University also ranked high on the list, with graduation rates of 94 percent.
Despite a four-percentage-point increase over the past three years, the national black college graduation rate is only 43 percent, while the figure for white students is 63 percent. The report concluded that "little or no progress has been achieved in bridging the divide."
According to Bruce Slater, the managing editor of the journal, the four-point increase is largely due to better financial aid and retention programs that provide help for students at risk of dropping out. But he added that financial differences still account for much of the gap between the graduation rates of white and black students.
"The main difference is money," Slater wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "Most black students who drop out do so because they cannot afford the cost and do not want to accumulate debt."
Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity Brenda Allen said Brown has worked in the past five years to make financial aid packages more competitive. The Sidney Frank Scholars program has allowed the University to provide students from the neediest families with comprehensive financial aid packages. In addition, an increased financial aid budget has allowed the University to provide adequate financial aid packages to more students.