The Latina/o population is the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, a demographic trend that has obvious and important implications for higher education. While there are challenges and issues for Latinas/os throughout the educational pipeline, this entry focuses on barriers and opportunities to postsecondary access, persistence, and success among Latina/o undergraduate students across 4-year and 2-year institutions. This entry provides an overview of salient issues and challenges faced by Latinas/os in higher education in the United States.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the Latina/o population grew from 6.5% of the total U.S. population (14.8 million) in 1980 to almost 20% (57.5 million) by 2016. Researchers project that Latinas/os will represent 24% of the total U.S. population by 2065. Already, Latinas/os represent the demographic ...