Hispanics largest minority in colleges: Study

Brownie Sibrian gives a valedictory speech at a Latino pre-graduation celebration, sponsored by the Latino Student Assn. and MEChA, about a week before graduating from Whittier College in California in May 2010. / AP Photo/Reed Saxon

(CBS News) For the first time, Hispanic students are the largest minority group on college campuses across the country -- making up 16.5 percent of American college students, a Pew study found.

The number of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics enrolled in four-year colleges exceeded 2 million in 2011, further evidence of how the country's largest minority group is not only growing but outpacing other minority groups. The study also found that a record 23.9 percent of all pre-K to 12th grade public school students in 2011 were Hispanic, an indication that the group's ranks in higher education will likely continue to grow.

Pew Research Center

Watch: Presidential candidates court Latino vote

And although graduation rates among Hispanics continue to lag behind those of non-Hispanic white students, the Pew study found the number of Latinos graduating with bachelors or associates degrees increased seven-fold the past four decades. In 2010, 140,000 Latinos received bachelors degrees and 112,000 received associates degrees -- both record highs, according to data published by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Pew analysis, which is based on newly available U.S. Census Bureau data, noted the record high Latino populations on college campuses is "a significant milestone because for the first time Hispanic representation among the nation's traditional college-student population matched Hispanics' overall population representation."

Among the 30 million people ages 18 to 24 years old, 6 million, or 20 percent, are Hispanic, according the Pew Research Center, making them the largest minority group in the country. Between 1972 and 2011, the percentage of Latino students in that age group steadily grew from 2.9 percent to 16.5 percent.

Now, a record share of young Hispanics are now eligible to attend college as well, Pew found. In 2011, 76 percent of Hispanics age 18 to 24 had finished high school, the highest level to date.

The milestone comes as Hispanic play a more and more significant role in the electorate, being a highly sought after voting bloc from both presidential campaigns. The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials estimates about 12 million Latinos will vote in the upcoming election. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the swing state of Florida has the third-largest Latino population in the country.

With eye on Latino vote, Romney ad talks immigration

[anonymous143]

So does this mean the Hispanics have jumped ahead of the Asian Americans? If not then who did they surpass?

[TitBits]

Thx to Obama... We will be like phillipines exporting maids and construction workers to the middleeast... Sad

[GeorgeWells6666]

If my Dog was a minority, he would be entitled to a free education.

I know a Nigerian immigrant going to the local city college full-time for 12 years. Next year she says she will be working on her major.

This says it all: "Africa for Africans, Asia for Asians, White Countries for Everyone
Annihilation by Assimilation
Nobody is saying that Africa needs diversity.

Nobody is saying that Asia needs diversity.
They are already 100% diverse.
People are only telling white children in white countries that they need diversity.
White countries will be 100% diverse when there are no white people left.
Diversity is a code-word for the genocide of white people.

[Rabbitofthehighplains]

ASIA FOR THE ASIANS, AFRICA FOR THE AFRICANS, WHITE COUNTRIES FOR EVERYBODY!

Everybody says there is this RACE problem. Everybody says this RACE problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY white country and ONLY into white countries.

The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve this RACE problem by bringing in millions of third worlders and quote assimilating unquote with them.

Everybody says the final solution to this RACE problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries to "assimilate," i.e., intermarry, with all those non-whites.

What if I said there was this RACE problem and this RACE problem would be solved only if hundreds of millions of non-blacks were brought into EVERY black country and ONLY into black countries?

How long would it take anyone to realize I'm not talking about a RACE problem. I am talking about the final solution to the BLACK problem?

And how long would it take any sane black man to notice this and what kind of psycho black man wouldn't object to this?

But if I tell that obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, Liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I am a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.

They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-white.

Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.