1. Assessing Hmong Students’ Admission Process: Promising and Challenging Factors
Dr. Yoshiko Takahashi, OIE Faculty Fellow
Alexandra Nottbohm, OIE Student Fellow

2. Academic Challenges of Hmong Students
Nearly all (97%) of the Hmong students are first-generation college students.
(source: Academic Characteristics of 2009 First-Time Freshmen Hmong College Students at a Western University)
Nearly two thirds (62%) are from families with combined incomes of less than $24,000, ranking them as the most financially disadvantaged student population on campus by far.
(source: Hmong (p. 1), by N. Rudd & M.T. Fernandez, 2010, Fresno, CA: Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning at California State University, Fresno)

3. College Admission Research Questions:
What is the admission status of Hmong students relative to other ethnic groups?
What are the critical factors as to why their applications were denied or incomplete?

4. GPA: 3.42 GPA: 3.25 Student Admission Trend (All) Fall 2016: All
% Admits: 53%
% Enrolled: 44%
GPA: 3.25
Hmong Students Admission Trend
Fall 2016: Hmong
% Admits: 70%
% Enrolled: 65%
GPA: 3.42

5. Preliminary Findings: 2016 Local Admission Outcome by Race/Ethnicity
Hmong
(N = 518)
Black
(N = 323)
Hispanic
(N = 6,925)
White
(N = 1,560)
Administrative Withdrawal
25.1%
31.6%
38.0%
55.7%
Applicant Withdrawal
.06%
3.7%
2.0%
1.3%
Deny
18.5%
36.8%
28.3%
11.5%
Matriculation
55.8%
27.9%
31.7%
31.5%
100.0%

6. Preliminary Findings: 2016 Hmong Admission Outcome by Location
Local Hmong Students
(N = 518)
Non-Local Hmong Students (N = 82)
Administrative Withdrawal
25.1%
24.4%
Applicant Withdrawal
0.6%
4.9%
Deny
18.5%
67.1%
Matriculation
55.8%
3.7%

7. Preliminary Findings: 2017 Fall Enrollment Status by Race/Ethnicity (Local Only)
Enrolled
Not Enrolled
Hmong (N = 289)
73.4%
26.6%
API (N = 673)
62.3%
37.7%
Black (N = 134)
62.7%
37.3%
Hispanic (N = 2,304)
69.9%
30.1%
White (N = 615)
71.1%
28.9%
Others (N = 273)
66.3%
33.7%

9. What we found from the admission data
Hmong students are coming to Fresno State with a much higher GPA than other ethnic minorities.
Only a small percentage of the applications of local Hmong students were denied.
The retention rate for the first year of Hmong students was much higher than for other ethnic minorities.

10. Why are they behind for the 6- year graduation?
New Research Question
So, Hmong students are coming to Fresno State with a competitive GPA and successfully completing the first year.
Why are they behind for the 6- year graduation?

11. Enrollment Trends: Fresno State

12. Enrollment Trends: Community College

13. Enrollment Trends: Other 4-Year Institution

14. Implications
Perhaps less prepared (low high-school GPA) Hmong students enter Fresno State as First Time Full Time Freshman (FTFTF), and the best prepared (high high-school GPA) Hmong students enter as transfer students.
Reflects graduation rates
40% of Hmong FTFTF graduate in 6 years
78% of Hmong transfer students graduate in 4 years

15. Future Directions- Student Success Survey
Developing a survey to investigate what challenges Hmong students may be facing
Experiencing common challenges to academic success?
Are these challenges unique to Hmong students?
Does experiencing particular challenges predict institutional metrics?
Survey developed from quantitative coding of 2013 AFSA Survey
Utilizing case-control matching to create a control group of non-Hmong students matched on confounding variables (e.g., sex, High School GPA) to account for pre-existing differences