Asian StudentsRace and Ethnicity in Higher Education Spotlight

The representation of Asians among undergraduate and graduate students remained relatively unchanged between 1995–96 and 2015–16. As a group, Asian students exhibited some of the highest persistence and completion rates of all racial and ethnic groups. Considering educational and employment outcomes, Asian adults had the highest levels of educational attainment and median annual earnings of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. This infographic highlights data from Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education: A Status Report to provide an overview of the educational journeys of Asian students enrolled in postsecondary education.

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U.S. Population & Educational Attainment*

Asians Total U.S. population

Asians represented 5.7% of the total U.S. population.

Total U.S.population

Asians

44.4%

61.8%

Attainment of Associate Degree or Higher (Adults Ages 25 and Older)

Asian Students

*2017

Nearly 62% of Asian adults had attained an

associate degree or higher.

5.7% of all undergraduate

students were Asian.

Undergraduate Enrollment Across Sectors1

45.3% of Asian undergraduates were enrolled in public

two-year institutions, similar to the share of undergraduates overall (45.9%).

*2015–16

Undergraduate Enrollment*

1. Institutions were categorized into sectors based upon control of the institution and the length of the predominant award granted.

All undergraduates

Asian undergraduates

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

31.2% 14.8% 45.9% 8.0%

35.8% 13.6% 45.3% 5.3%

Public Four-Year Private Nonpro�t Four-Year Public Two-Year For-Pro�t

43.5% 56.5%

Asian undergraduates

Undergraduate Enrollment by Gender

48.0% 52.0%

All undergraduates

Asian Students

40.7% 59.3%

Asian graduate students

Graduate Enrollment by Gender

42.6% 57.4%

All graduate students

57% of Asian graduate students were women.

*2015–16

Graduate Enrollment*

6.3% of all graduate students were Asian.

Graduate Enrollment Across Sectors

All graduate students

Asian graduate students

0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

46.7% 43.0% 10.3%

46.4% 46.5% 7.1%

Public Four-Year Private Nonpro�t Four-Year For-Pro�t

Asian Students

Undergraduate Completion*

Undergraduate Completions by Award Level

*2016

Graduate Completion*

Asian students earned

63.7%

of Asian undergraduate students completed bachelor’s degrees, nearly 10 percentage points higher than that of all undergraduates (54.3%).

All undergraduates

Asian undergraduates

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

18.5% 27.2% 54.3%

13.3% 23.0% 63.7%

Certi�cates Associate Degrees Bachelor's Degrees

5.2% of all master’s degrees13.4% of all professional degrees5.1% of all doctoral degrees

Asian Students

23.2% of Asian graduate students completed professional degrees, compared with 10.4% of

graduate students overall.

Paying for College*

All undergraduates

Asianundergraduates

70.3%

67.5%

FAFSA Completion Rate

Associate DegreeRecipients

Bachelor's DegreeRecipients

Master’s DegreeRecipients

Professional DegreeRecipients

48.0%

29.6%

68.9%

58.7%

56.4%

50.1%

78.3%

65.6%

All students Asian students

Percent Who Borrowed

39.1% of Asian undergraduate students were from families with an expected family contribution of $0, the same percentage as undergraduates overall.

*2015–16

Associate DegreeRecipients

Bachelor's DegreeRecipients

Master’s DegreeRecipients

Professional DegreeRecipients

$18,501

$17,459

$29,669

$25,510

$43,354

$59,824

$149,356

$153,372

All students Asian students

Average Amount Borrowed

Among undergraduate degree recipients, Asian students were LESS likely to borrow and borrowed LESS than undergraduate students overall.

Asian Students

High School Graduate or Equivalent

Some College but No Degree

Associate Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Professional Degree

Doctoral Degree

All Education Levels

$29,100

$25,089

$34,430

$32,442

$39,493

$37,308

$52,000

$57,495

$64,809

$81,104

$95,000

$101,380

$84,049

$92,735

$37,094

$44,307

All adults Asian adults

Median Annual Earnings for Adults Ages 25 and Older

The median annual earnings for Asians were higher than the national median for all adults across nearly all levels of postsecondary attainment.

*2016

Asian Students

Median Annual Earnings*

Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education Spotlight

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