1. U.S. Levels of Educational Attainment by Race
2015

2. Bachelor’s Degrees Earned by Race /Ethnicity 1990-2006 by % Distribution
2000
2006
Total Bachelor’s
100.0%
White, non-Hispanic
84.4%
75.1%
72.4%
Black, non-Hispanic
5.8%
8.7%
9.6%
Hispanic
3.1%
6.1%
7.2%
Asian or Pacific Islander
3.7%
6.3%
6.9%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.4%
0.7%
Nonresident Alien
2.5%
3.2%
Source: U.S. Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, annual

3. % of U.S. Population 2014 by Race with 2060 Projections
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

4. After 2000,
a new category entered many demographic studies: people of “2 or More Races.”

5. almost every racial group
Since 2005,
almost every racial group
has increased the %
of its population
that attends college.

6. % of persons of each race 25–29 years old with Bacherlor’s degree or higher
Total
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian
2 Races
2005
28.8
34.5
17.6
11.2
60.3
16.4
28.0
2010
31.7
38.6
19.4
13.5
55.8
18.6
29.8
2014
34.0
40.8
22.4
15.1
60.8
5.6
32.4
Source: Digest of Education Statistics, nces.ed.gov

7. Gains for each group between 2005 and 2014
are smaller in their attainment of more
graduate degrees.

8. % of persons of each race 25–29 years old with Master’s degree or higher
Total
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian
2 Races
2005
6.3
7.5
2.6
2.1
16.9 *
7.0
2010
6.8
7.7
4.7
2.5
17.9
2014
7.6
9.0
3.9
2.9
18.8
7.1
Source: Digest of Education Statistics, nces.ed.gov
* no reliable data: too few cases, or coefficient of variation 50% or higher

9. Distribution of students by racial groups in undergraduate education
has come to resemble,
more closely, the general racial composition of the U.S.

10. For instance, in 2013, 13.2 % of undergraduates were Black students, while Black people comprised 12.4%
of the population in 2014.

11. Distribution of Undergraduate Students by Race & Gender 2013
Group
Number
% of All Students
All
20,375,521
100.0%
Male
8,860,546
43.5%
Female
11,514,974
56.5%
American Indian
154,127
0.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1,190,119
5.8%
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education Analysis
of U.S. Department of Education data

12. Distribution of Undergraduate Students by Race & Gender 2013
Group
Number
% of All Students
All
20,375,521
100.0%
Black
2,685,193
13.2%
Hispanic
2,924,695
14.4%
White
10,891,299
53.5%
Mixed Race
531,353
2.6%
Race Unknown
1,160,161
5.7%
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education Analysis
of U.S. Department of Education data

13. across all disciplines, participation among most groups declines by %,
From undergraduate
to graduate education,
across all disciplines,
participation among
most groups declines by %,
except among
white & Asian students.

14. Distribution of U.S. Graduate Students by Race & Gender 2014
Group
Number
% of All Students
All
372,660
100.0%
Male
143,775
39.0%
Female
225,161
61.0%
American Indian
1,839
0.5%
Asian/Pacific Islander
25,995
7.0%
Source: CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment & Degrees

15. Distribution of U.S. Graduate Students by Race & Gender 2014
Group
Number
% of All Students
All
372,660
100.0%
Black
41,999
11.3%
Hispanic
35,870
9.6%
White
232,520
62.4%
Two or More Races
9,818
2.6%
Race Unknown
24,619
6.6%
Source: CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment & Degrees

16. If MFA programs resembled the 2014 distribution of graduate students
by race across all
academic disciplines—

17. approximately six out of every ten MFA students would be white; one, Black; one, Hispanic; one, Asian; and one more, of an unknown race or of two or more races.

18. 40% of creative writing grad students should be people of color to match 2014 levels of educational attainment across all disciplines.

19. In the 1990s, AWP conducted an NEA-funded project to establish MFA programs at HBCUs. All the HBCUs’ leaders chose not to establish MFA programs, though AWP presented a strong case for their need and the popular demand for such programs.

20. Echoing the sentiments of families with their first generation to go to college, HBCU leaders preferred their students concentrate on academic disciplines of more lucrative professions: law, medicine, business, engineering, etc.

21. The younger the age group, the more people of color in that group
The younger the age group, the more people of color in that group. 18% of Boomers are people of color. 43% of Millennials are people of color.

22. By 2060, more than 50% of college-bound students will be people of color.

23. % of U.S. Population 2014 by Race with 2060 Projections
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

24. the projected diversity of the total U.S. population—
If MFA programs
in 2060 resembled
the projected diversity
of the total U.S. population—

25. out of every ten MFA students would be white; three, Hispanic;
approximately four
out of every ten MFA students
would be white;
three, Hispanic;
one, Black; one, Asian;
and one more, of another race or of two or more races.