Major Degrees by Minority Students

Ismael Reveles

San Diego State University ranks No. 20 in the nation for bachelor’s degrees conferred to ethnic minorities, according to the June issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The rankings, which reflect 2010-2011 data, are part of the magazine’s annual list of “Top 100 Undergraduate Degree Producers.” 

SDSU also ranked No.12 for Hispanics, No.21 for Asian-Americans and No. 19 for American Indian bachelor’s degree recipients.

SDSU is one of the most diverse campuses in the nation with more than half of its students coming from historically underrepresented student groups.

“San Diego State University takes great pride in its student diversity,” SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin said. “We are especially proud to receive national attention for our sustained work in closing the achievement gap, thus assuring the success of all our students.”

Cover story

Diverse featured SDSU on its cover for a story about the university’s success in closing the achievement gap.

The story “Making the Grade: At San Diego State University, Retention and Graduation Rates Garner National Attention” discusses how campus leaders have fostered a culture of success among all its students, pointing specifically to the closing achievement gap between minority and other students as evidence.

Among freshmen who attended SDSU in fall 2010, 88.3 percent returned for their sophomore year in 2011. For minority students, the continuation rate was 87.4 percent, less than a one percent difference. Similarly, between 2002 and 2009, SDSU increased its graduation rates among minority students to less than a two percent difference than that of all students.

The story also featured two recent SDSU graduates Ellese Carmona and Ismael Reveles, both Hispanic, and each going on to pursue doctoral degrees at Harvard and Arizona State University respectively.

Complete rankings

A complete list of the rankings and the story featuring SDSU can be found at www.diverseeducation.com.