Predictive factors in baccalaureate degree attainment among Latin@ college students

While the gains in Latin@ college-going rates are promising, they trail behind all other\ud ethnic groups in the number who have earned college degrees. In California, only 11\ud percent o f Latin@ adults 25 years and older have earned a bachelor???s degree, compared with 30 percent o f all Californians. This quantitative study examined the effects of student demographic backgrounds, precollege characteristics, and college experiences on six-year graduation rates o f three cohorts of Latin@ students at a public four-year university located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Using logistic regression analysis, predictive factors o f degree attainment were identified. The Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) model developed by Alexander W. Astin served as the conceptual framework for this study. The results o f the analysis revealed that the best combination o f predictors of graduation were high school GPA, completion o f college-level English within two years, good academic standing, continuous enrollment, and summer term enrollment. This research contributes to the existing body o f knowledge by identifying distinct factors that relate to baccalaureate degree completion among Latin@ college students