Hispanics earn a greater percentage of associate degrees than bachelor's degrees.

The relatively high enrollment rate of Hispanic students at 2-year colleges is reflected in their proportion of associate degrees. In the 1999-2000 academic year, Hispanics earned 9 percent of all associate degrees, 6 percent of bachelor's degrees, 4 percent of master's degrees, 3 percent of doctor's degrees, and 5 percent of first-professional degrees.

The number of Hispanic students graduating from college has been increasing rapidly for many years, for all levels of degrees from associate through doctorate. The pace of these increases has accelerated during the 1990s. Between 1980-81 and 1990-91, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics rose by 68 percent. During the 1990s (1990-91 to 1999-2000), the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics rose by 105 percent, faster than any other racial/ethnic group. Similar large increases occurred at higher degree levels during the 1990s, with a 128 percent increase in master's degrees, and a 76 percent increase in doctor's degrees (supplemental table 7.2a).