Data from the 1980s suggested that small private colleges were the primary entry point to U.S. higher education for Latinas and Latinos who later earned doctorate degrees. However, I show that in the first decade of the 21st century, large percentages of doctorates originated at public universities and community colleges. I suggest that since the 1980s, we may have witnessed a shift in Latina and Latino higher education trajectories, which fits a larger historical pattern in American society—whereby women, racial, ethnic, and religious groups were once excluded but over time made their way into mainstream public education. At a time when public colleges and universities are responding to budget cuts and policy changes by becoming less accessible to low-income and minority students, policy makers should consider the importance of a well-funded, accessible public sector of higher education for preparing the next generation of Latina and Latino scholars.
