A growing body of research suggests that minority college students' race and ethnicity affect their academic performance. Some researchers say subtle factors, like fears of not fitting in or perceptions that professors have low expectations of them, may hinder the progress of today's nonwhite students more than blatant discrimination does. Skeptics have attacked many such studies as flawed and questioned whether the obstacles they describe are real. This article talks about what research says on race-linked barriers to achievement. Among the areas in which research is yielding some clues are: (1) perceptions of isolation and prejudice; and (2) interactions with family and faculty members.