African-American students at the University of California, Riverside continue beyond their first year and graduate at higher rates than any other ethnic group, according to the latest retention and six-year graduation figures.
African-Americans in the fall 2002 freshman class had a 73.9 percent graduation rate by 2008, while the overall campus graduation rate was 64.3 percent. Their first-year retention rate was 92.8 percent, while the campus persistence rate was 84.9 percent.
A student celebrates success at UC Riverside's commencement.
Nationwide, about 54 percent of full-time students at four-year public universities graduate in six years, but the rate for African- Americans is 38 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“I’m delighted to see concrete evidence of what we have known anecdotally – that our African- American students are doing as well, or in many instances, better, than UCR students overall,” said UCR Chancellor Timothy P. White.
“However, our goal is to further increase both retention and graduation rates for African-American students as well as for all student groups.”
Campus officials are not entirely sure why African-Americans do so well at UCR, but they believe a critical factor is that African- Americans feel comfortable on the campus, which is the most diverse in the UC system and was ranked fifth most diverse nationally by U.S. News and World Report.
“Critical mass matters,” said White, “and UCR’s undergraduate student body reflects the face of California.” African-Americans are 7 percent of UCR’s student body, not the 1 percent they are on some college campuses.