Racial Isolation and Postsecondary Outcomes

• In Event: The Role of Race on College Student Outcomes and Experiences

Abstract

The recent termination of affirmative action in college admissions imposes additional roadblocks for postsecondary institutions hoping to advance racial equity and realize the benefits of diversity. In an effort to support college administrators who center racial justice, my paper provides new insight into the contours of racial isolation in postsecondary institutions and the relationship between racial isolation and educational outcomes. Using IPEDS data from all degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S., I conduct a quantitative analysis of between- and within-school racial isolation along with graduation rates, transfer rates, and dropout rates. Among other notable patterns, I find that heightened levels of racial isolation for Black students and Hispanic students correlate with lower graduation rates and higher transfer rates.

Author

• Ryan Coughlan, Baruch College - CUNY