UAlbany Lauded Among Top 10 National Institutions for Latino/a Student Success

A student carries the El Salvador flag during UAlbany's 2016 undergraduate commencement ceremony. (Photo by Carlo de Jesus)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 15, 2017) – The University at Albany is proving to be a national role model for the advancement of Latino/a student success, according to a recent report by The Education Trust.

The report, “A Look at Latino Student Success: Identifying Top- and Bottom-Performing Institutions,” examined graduation rates and the completion gap between Latino/a and white undergraduate students at 613 public and non-profit private colleges and universities in the United States. Data was based on three-year averages from 2013-2015.

UAlbany was listed among the top-10 performing institutions with a 66.6 percent graduation rate and 2.7 percent completion gap for Latino/a students.

In comparison, the report found the national graduation rates for Latino/a students at four-year colleges and universities is 10 percent points lower than their white counterparts – 53.6 percent and 63.3 percent respectively. About 15 percent of four-year colleges in the report had a completion gap of 15 percent points or higher.

The report compared institutions of similar size, SAT scores, and number of Pell Grant recipients and highlighted those who stood out with significantly higher-than-average graduation rates for Latino/a students and had little to no completion gap.

“The University at Albany is one of the most diverse Research I institutions in the nation, and organizations like The Education Trust are beginning to take notice,” said UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez. “Our achievements in this area are built on years of work to create an academic environment where all students, including students of color, thrive and succeed.”

Opportunities for All:

UAlbany is committed to inclusive education, promoting a campus culture that is diverse, and ensuring a welcoming and supportive community to students from all cultural and economic backgrounds. Since 2014, the University’s overall retention rate has increased by nearly three percentage points. Its freshman to sophomore retention rates for Latino/a students has improved to 85.3 percent.

A study published in the New York Times earlier this year ranked UAlbany among the top 20 “selective public colleges” in the nation for offering students who come from poverty the most opportunity to achieve wealth in adulthood. Washington Monthly magazine also ranked UAlbany among the top national universities in providing low-income and first-generation college students with a ladder to social mobility and economic success through academic excellence.

In March, The Education Trust released a similar report about black student success. UAlbany was also named a top-performing institution in that report.

“Success breeds success,” said UAlbany Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Christakis. “Students are coming to UAlbany from underrepresented groups and finding they can be successful here. Those students are graduating and becoming role models in their communities. It builds upon itself. We are a welcoming community where people support each other.”

The Education Trust is a nonprofit advocacy organization. Its goal is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement for students at all levels of the education system — especially those from low-income families and students of color.

You can view the entire Latino Student Success report here.

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