Citing statistics from Fall 1995, the study says the undergraduate minority enrollment in the University system was 17 percent, while the figure for the 15 community colleges was 20 percent, which are well above the percentage of minorities in Massachusetts, which is around 12 percent. However, the state colleges reported only 9 percent of their students were minorities. While the University and community colleges have been successful in reaching out to minority students, said Chancellor of Higher Education Stanley Koplik, state colleges have not been as effective. In addition to facing competition in admissions, Koplik said some state colleges are located far from minority populations. More than 75 percent remain in state after graduating.
Women outnumber men in the system.
Financial aid has increased, but most of the new money is in the form of loans, not grants. The University and state colleges are becoming more selective in admissions. At the University, the percentage of applicants admitted fell from 80 percent to 73 percent between 1994 and 1996. During the same period, the percentage admitted at the state colleges dropped from 72 percent to 68 percent.