Minority Students Seek Distance Degrees
 
Minority students are turning to online degree programs in record numbers. Traditional colleges are reporting decreasing enrollment figures for African American and Hispanic minority students. Ninety percent of Latino and African American minority parents, however, report that they find a university degree as critical to success as a high school diploma. If this is true, where are all of these students?

The answer may surprise many educators. Minority students are turning to distance education degree programs in record numbers. These distance degree programs are becoming so popular, in fact, that they rank among the highest in graduating black and Latino students. In fact, some on line degree universities report that their enrollment figures for minority students have climbed by as much as 500 percent in the last five years!

Two of the reasons reported by students working to complete degree requirements through online education are flexibility and convenience. According to minority leadership organizations, however, there is another, less frequently discussed reason why many students prefer to attend colleges online instead of on traditional campuses. This reason was discussed by Nancy Greer-Greer-Williams, who found that many minority students experienced some degree of racial discomfort while attending traditional on-campus programs, a perception corroborated by many minority students as well.

Whether racism is or is not a factor, the facts are clear: increasing numbers of minority students are electing to pursue their education through accredited degree programs online. Furthermore, these students are graduating and making the most of their educations. Online universities have made huge strides toward providing minority students equal acceptance, convenience, and flexibility in their pursuit of academic excellence!