Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Liberal Studies

Advisor

Susan Semel

Subject Categories

Education | Education Policy

Keywords

college; graduation; Hispanic; Latino; rates

Abstract

This literature review examines what factors cause Hispanic college students to drop out before completing their bachelor's degrees. Factors include the type of college attended, financial aid, attending college part-time, enrolling in college later in life, stopping-out, taking a gap year, parents' educational levels, whether students are native- or foreign-born, high school academics, SAT and standardized test scores, college academics, the peer group, multiple disadvantages can compound for Hispanic students, sense of belonging on campus, stereotype threat, and a mentoring program. Recommendations are made for how non-college-educated Hispanic parents can be better informed about the college application process, what student support services on campuses have been shown to improve graduation rates, how passing the DREAM Act could help Hispanic students, how financial aid could be better distributed to help low-income students, and specific university policies that have been shown to improve college graduation rates for Hispanic students.

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