The number of Black students pursuing associate’s degree and credential information technology (IT) programs is concerningly lacking, according to a new report from Jobs for the Future.
Michael CollinsJFF
The Oct. 26 report – Black Learners in IT Associate’s Degree and Credential College Programs – uses data from higher ed focus groups and the National Student Clearinghouse to examine the degree to which Black students are participating in these technology programs.
Looking at enrollment numbers from 2017-2021 at approximately 1,000 schools offering a two-year IT degree program or one-year IT credential program, researchers found that only around 400 had at least 10 Black students enrolled in said IT programs a year.
Of those 400 schools, Black students on average comprised 18.3% of students in IT programs per school, though in most schools in 2019 – 291 out of 451 – the percentage of Black learners was below that average, the study found.
And for each year from 2017-2021, out of approximately 180,000 students in IT programs nationwide, 24,000-25,000 were Black, according to the study.
On matters of retention and completion – both metrics did not count transfer students – new Black students in IT programs had an average retention of 38.6% (nine learners) from 2016-2020 and an average completion rate of 12.9%.
Along gender lines, the dwindling numbers of Black students becomes even more distinct. Just about 350 of the 1,000 examined schools had at least 10 Black male students in IT per year and approximately 155 had at least 10 Black female students.
