The United States is quickly falling behind other industrialized nations in terms of adults who hold a college degree, and minority groups are the least likely to attain that level of education,  according to a recent report released by higher-education groups examining a state-by state analysis on access and equal opportunity for postsecondary education. 

The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) prepared the report, which was supported by the Lumina Foundation for Education and Jobs for the Future.

The report, “Adding It Up: State Challenges for Increasing College Access and Success,” exams data from 2005 projected to 2025, which includes analysis on demographic changes, as well as educational attainment based on race and ethnicity for student data in both high-school and throughout college.

According to the U.S. Census in 2005, 42 percent of Whites ages 25-64 hold an associate’s degree or higher, compared to 18 percent of Hispanic Americans and 26 percent of African-Americans.

Based on the census projections, the United States over the next 20 years will encounter a substantial projected increase in populations from minority groups, specifically Hispanics. These are typically the underserved population in higher education.

“This looming degree gap cannot be filled without a strong commitment to erasing racial and ethnic disparities in educational attainment,” says the Lumina Foundation.

In order to keep in line with other leading nations, the report concludes that the United States would have to “ramp up” our college-degree completions. The nation was ranked tenth compared to other industrialized nations for the percentage of 25 to 34 year olds with an associate’s degree or higher, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).  However, when compared to similar industrialized nations, the United States is ranked near the bottom in numbers of students who actually complete a higher-education program.