Black College Students Have Much More To Do Than Study, Research Shows
More Black college students, compared to their non-Black counterparts, must balance classwork with competing outside responsibilities to complete bachelor’s degree programs, according to a new Lumina Foundation-Gallup study released Thursday (Feb. 10).
In addition to completing coursework, about one in three (36 percent) Black bachelor’s degree students must also spend time fulfilling other obligations in their personal lives – twice the rate of non-Black students (18 percent).
About 22 percent of those Black students have caregiving responsibilities for underaged children (11 percent) or adult family members or friends (15 percent). Only 11 percent of non-Black students have caregiving responsibilities.
A disproportionate percentage of Black students must also hold a full-time job (20 percent), compared to 11 percent of their non-Black classmates.
Consequently, 46 percent of Black students with competing responsibilities have considered dropping out of their bachelor’s program in the past six months.
The researchers suggested that schools integrate flexibility for time and location of courses to assist the overburdened students, as well as comprehensive support services that could include on-campus child care.
Black students underscored the importance of financial aid or scholarships, commitment to finishing the program quickly, and support from a school counselor or mental health professional, among other factors, to help them remain enrolled.
In addition to the outside responsibilities, the report found other barriers to degree completion, including the high financial cost of higher education and racial discrimination. As a result, six-year completion rates for any degree or certificate program are lower for Black students than any other racial or ethnic group.
The poll results are based on web surveys conducted from Oct. 26, 2022 to Nov. 17, 2022. All the respondents were U.S. residents aged 18 to 59 who completed a high school degree but not an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Gallup surveyed 2,378 people, including 443 Black Americans, currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program.
