Nationally, most students, at least 80%, enroll in either a public 4-year college or public 2-year college.  (U.S. Dept of Education, Think College Early)

Racial Composition of College Student Attendees (National Center for Education Statistics)

• 72.4% White
• 12.9% Black or African-American
• 5.6% Asian or American Indian/Alaskan Native
• 0.9% Native Hawaiian other Pacific Islander
• 5.5% Other
• 1.7&  More than one race reported

Total 99%

According to a survey conducted by the Baltimore City Public School System and given to high school seniors at the city’s 25 public high schools, 35% of students plan to attend a 4 year college while 13.5 plan to attend a 2 year college.  For the state of Maryland, 44% of high school students plan to attend a 4 year college while 16.1 % plan to attend a 2 year college.  88% of respondents to the survey were African-American, 8% white and 4% were “other races.”  58% were female, and 42% were male.

Over an adult’s working life, high school graduates make an average of $1.2 million, individuals with associate degrees make $1.6 million and bachelor degree holders earn $2.1 million on the average.

Quick Facts Regarding College Graduates
A 1998 report published by the Institute for Higher Education Policy reviews the individual benefits that college graduates enjoy, including:

• higher levels of saving
• increased personal/professional mobility
• improved quality of life for their offspring
• better consumer decision making
• more hobbies and leisure activities.

According to a report published by the Carnegie Foundation, non-monetary individual benefits of higher education include:

• the tendency for postsecondary students to become more open-minded
• more cultured
• more rational
• more consistent and less authoritarian
• these benefits are also passed along to succeeding generations

Additionally, college attendance has been shown to:

• decrease prejudice
• enhance knowledge of world affairs and enhance social status
• increase economic and job security for those who earn bachelor's degrees

For more facts and figures on education, please visit the National Center for Education Statistics at www.nces.ed.gov.