Information on the participation of black students in higher education during the 1970s is presented, with additional considerations discussed: demographic changes among black youth in the 1970s, trends in majors and degree completion, enrollment by type of institution, and school location. Findings for the early 1970s include the following: the large increase in black college enrollment coincided with the expansion in both federal legislation and policies aimed at reducing barriers for minorities and low-income students; by 1975, the percent of black high school graduates who enrolled in college was the same as that for whites (although the high school graduation rates were still lower for blacks than for whites); and the increase in black college enrollment took place at the undergraduate level. Among the findings for the last half of the 1970s are: the number of blacks who enrolled in college remained about the same, despite an almost 20 percent increase in the number of blacks eligible for college; and the number and proportion of degrees awarded to blacks remained about the same at the bachelor's, doctor's, and first-professional level, while there were substantial declines at the master's level. Information on the sources of the data is appended. (SW)