Disparaties in Statistics
The average cost of attendance for a public four-year college in the 2015-16 academic year is $24,061 and for a private four-year college it is $47,831. The cost of attending colleges and universities has gone up almost 71% in the past decade, making it harder and harder for low-income families -- and even middle class families -- to send their children to an institution of higher education.
Our Research
Initiatives and Programs That Help Low-income Students
With the large impact that economic difference has on students in higher education, more programs have emerged to help level the playing field. Many vary from national initiatives, statewide programs, to college’s financial aid distribution. These are programs dedicated in helping those with low-income backgrounds to earn a college degree. They differ in the type of impact they have and what they do in order to meet these goals.
Franklin&Marshall: A Case Study
Franklin and Marshall, a liberal arts college, is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 2008, only a mere 5% of the freshman class was eligible for a Pell grant, and a whopping 62.3 percent of freshman came from families who could pay the full cost of tuition.
Graduation Rates
The college participation rate at four-year institutions for students from low-income families is only one half the rate for students from families with incomes greater than $75,000. The unfortunate truth reveals itself in these statistics; Even students with the same abilities and qualifications are forced to or encouraged to limit their education and their future success due to their unfortunate financial situations.
The Worth of
Pell Grants
The Pell grant was functioning well when it first started because it was able to cover either half of or more than half of tuition but now the Pell grant will not make a dent in the cost of college tuition or students won’t even receive the maximum amount of the grant. For instance, in 2012 the Pell grant only covered 27% of college expenses while in 1975 it covered 67%.
In beginning of 2014 Congress gave the Department of Education 120 days to measure Pell grant graduation rates for every university and college in the country. However, the data arrived more than a year late. In November of 2015, information on the graduation rates of Pell recipients were finally available, but there was a number of issues with reporting methods.