American Association of Community Colleges
June 2014
Education attainment among Asians
In the U.S., 44 percent of undergraduate Asians attend a community college.
Average education attainment for ages 25 and older, 2008–10
100%
8%
40%
26%
15%
18%
16%
21%
80%
44%
60%
7%
27%
33%
19%
23%
39%
20%
18%
40%
20%
35%
8%
11%
0%
6%
Asian-Indian
12%
10%
25%
25%
15%
16%
24%
23%
7%
4%
6%
Filipino
Japanese
Korean
31%
24%
27%
32%
21%
14%
Chinese
Master’s degree or higher
Bachelor’s degree
Some college or associate degree
High school graduate, no college
22%
19%
Vietnamese
Other Asian
13%
Non-Asian
Less than a high school diploma
Source: “Asians in the U.S. Labor Force: Profile of a Diverse Population,” Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Current Population Survey, November 2011.
AACC data analysis of Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Fall 2012
Enrollment Survey file.
Although a notable characteristic of Asians is their high rate of degree attainment, disparities exist when comparing
educational outcomes within Asian sub-groups. About 25 percent of both Filipinos and Japanese had some college
or an associate degree, compared to 12 percent of Chinese. Vietnamese had the lowest degree attainment: 22 percent
had less than a high school diploma and 31 percent peaked with a high school diploma. Whereas Asian-Indians had
the highest educational attainment — 75 percent had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher — only 8 percent had some
college or an associate degree. The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund provides further breakdowns.
For more information, contact Kent Phillippe, associate vice president for research and student success at the American
Association of Community Colleges, at (202) 416-4505 or [email protected], or Rahel Tekle, AACC research
associate, at (202) 416-4508 or [email protected]