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Degrees conferred by race/ethnicity and sex

Question:
What is the percentage of degrees conferred by race/ethnicity and sex?

Response:

The percentage of degrees conferred by race/ethnicity and sex varied by level of degree in 2020–21.

Associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: 2020–21
Level of degree and sex Total American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
Asian/
Pacific
Islander
Black Hispanic White Two or
more races
Percentage distribution of degrees conferred to U.S. citizens and permanent residents
Associate’s degree 1,014,492 0.8 6.7 12.2 26.2 50.2 3.9
Male 373,627 0.7 7.6 10.2 24.6 52.9 3.9
Female 640,865 0.9 6.2 13.4 27.2 48.5 3.8
Bachelor’s degree 1,963,737 0.5 8.6 10.5 16.5 59.7 4.1
Male 806,554 0.4 9.4 8.9 15.3 61.9 4.1
Female 1,157,183 0.5 8.1 11.6 17.4 58.2 4.2
Master’s degree 737,363 0.5 7.9 13.3 12.7 62.4 3.1
Male 260,307 0.4 9.3 11.2 12.0 64.0 3.1
Female 477,056 0.6 7.2 14.5 13.0 61.6 3.2
Doctor’s degree1 170,580 0.4 13.2 10.0 9.7 63.4 3.4
Male 71,253 0.4 13.2 7.7 9.3 66.1 3.2
Female 99,327 0.4 13.2 11.6 9.9 61.4 3.5

1 Includes Ph.D., Ed.D., and comparable degrees at the doctoral level, as well as such degrees as M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees that were classified as first-professional degrees prior to 2010–11.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Reported racial/ethnic distributions of students by level of degree, field of study, and sex were used to estimate race/ethnicity for students whose race/ethnicity was not reported. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Table 321.20. Associate’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected academic years, 1976–77 through 2020–21; Table 322.20. Bachelor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected academic years 1976–77 through 2020–21; Table 323.20. Master’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected academic years, 1976–77 through 2020–21; and Table 324.20. Doctor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected academic years, 1976–77 through 2020–21 [Data tables]. In Digest of education statistics. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 3, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_321.20.asp, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_322.20.asp, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_323.20.asp, and https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_324.20.asp.

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