A new report by the Pew Research Center demonstrates the effects of the Recession and a boom in minority high school graduation rates on freshman enrollment. The report is an analysis of recent statistics published by the U.S. Department of Education and suggests that the significant growth in minority freshmen, particularly among Hispanic students, could be a result of demographic changes. The report cites a changing youth population in the country, which is more diverse than the current population of adults, as a possible cause for the increase. In addition, Hispanic high school graduation rates reached an all-time high in 2008 of 70%, an increase of 2.5% from 2007.

 While the overall increase in enrollments appears to be sector-wide, the spike in minority enrollments is concentrated in two-year and less-than-two year institutions, where minority students enroll at higher rates than their white peers. At four-year institutions, minority students enroll at less selective schools compared with whites.

 The increase in minority enrollment corresponds with a decrease in white enrollments; in 2007, whites constituted 55% of freshmen at less-than-four-year institutions. By 2008, whites were only 53%. At four-year institutions, whites represented 64% of freshmen in 2007 and 62% by 2008. The increase in minority enrollments, however, was concentrated in certain states and a small number of colleges and universities. Of the 144,000 total increase in freshmen enrollment, around 72,000 were at 109 colleges and universities. As a result, less than 2% of the nation’s colleges and universities absorbed half of the enrollment boom.