Financial constraints were a common factor in the decisions made by students who opted for four-year public institutions versus private institutions. Sixty percent of surveyed counselors said they recorded increases among their students opting for public schools over private institutions. Thirty-seven percent of counselors reported increases among students opting for community college over four-year institutions.
Inequities persist in the college landscape, particularly among African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. “In 2007, Black and Hispanic persons constituted approximately 32 percent of the traditional college-aged population,” the report stated, “but they represented only about 25 percent of students enrolled in postsecondary education.”
