In addition, the very term ôAsian Americanö ignores the fact that various ethnic subgroups fall under that term, including students of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Pakistani, Thai and other Asian ancestries. Moreover, income levels and immigration histories differ for these students, as demonstrated by the different experiences of the two UCI students quoted above.
Brief History of Asian Americans in Higher Education
During the 1970s, the population of Asian Americans in the United States grew approximately 130 percent while whites grew by 6 percent, blacks by 17 percent, and Hispanics by 53 percent. A significant amount of the growth in the Asian American population was due to changes in immigration law. Thus, in 1980, foreign-born Asians constituted 62 percent of the Asian American population. This dramatic increase in the Asian American general population was reflected on college campuses. Between 1970 and 1980, Asian Americans were the fastest-growing minority in under
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