WASHINGTON – Parental education is a major factor in an undergraduate student’s decision whether to pursue an advanced degree, and it may be an impediment to Black, Hispanic and first-generation populations, according to a study by Gallup, the Association of American Law Schools and the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).
The three organizations presented that finding and more when they unveiled a study report Tuesday in a briefing session at the Gallup office. The report, “Beyond the Bachelor’s: Undergraduate Perspectives on Graduate and Professional Degrees,” was based on information gathered from 25 four-year institutions of higher education, where 22,189 students responded to a Gallup survey about academic backgrounds, career aspirations and sources of advice and information.
Colleges and universities were targeted for survey participation based on the greatest likelihood of graduates to pursue graduate education. Although some historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were invited to participate, none did.
Still, the study produced “a very rich set of data” that shed light on demographics such as gender, race and ethnicity, parental education and academic achievement that can be used to bolster access and equity, noted LSAC president and CEO Kellye Testy.
Highlights from the study:
· Undergraduates likely to pursue an advanced degree who have at least one parent with an advanced degree are most likely to report relying on family as a source of advice about graduate school, with that reliance on family input increasing as the parental education level increases.
· Just over four in 10, or 41 percent, of undergraduates who said they were likely to pursue a graduate or professional degree had at least one parent with an advanced degree compared to those unlikely to pursue an advanced degree (29 percent) or who had never thought about it (22 percent).
