Access to and opportunity in postsecondary education in the United States: A review

This review of the research on access to and persistence in higher education found that the proportions of women, older, and part-time college students have increased dramatically since 1960 and that although enrollments of African Americans and Latinos have also increased, they slowed in the 1980s, perhaps because of changed financial aid policies. Predictive research on access and persistence indicates the generally declining importance of socioeconomic advantage, as compared to academic ability. Weaker social and academic integration of students within their institutions has been used to explain lower rates of college persistence; the converse, the generally positive effects of women's and historically black colleges. Beginning at a community college lessens a student's chances of attaining a baccalaureate degree. Most forms of financial aid strengthen the persistence of minority students, though loans may not.