Which supports are making a difference for low-income students?

Federal Pell Grants provide crucial financial assistance to low-income college students, but the grant alone often isn’t enough to ensure that recipients both enroll in college and successfully complete their undergraduate degree. To that end, The Hechinger Report recently highlighted four institutions—Montclair State University (MSU); the University of California (UC), Riverside; UC Merced; and Rutgers University-Newark—for their work in producing higher-than-average graduation rates among Pell Grant recipients.

Related: Georgetown’s Class of 2028 has highest number of Pell-eligible students in over a decade >

Why these four?

Just under half of all students who receive Pell Grants graduate from four-year colleges within six years, compared to over two-thirds of students who neither receive Pell Grants nor direct subsidized loans, according to federal education data cited by The Hechinger Report. However, at the four universities featured by the publication, at least 65% of low-income students complete their degrees within six years, according to 2020 data. 

Some public flagship universities, elite private colleges, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities also graduate low-income students at high rates, but those more selective colleges typically accept fewer students overall and smaller shares of low-income students in particular. By comparison, MSU, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and Rutgers-Newark all admit more than three-quarters of their applicants, and around half or more of their full-time, first-time students receive Pell Grants. Their success in graduating more low-income students relies on a combination of factors: reducing financial barriers to attend, offering a variety of academic support programs, and focusing on student belonging.

Related: Report: Colleges increasingly unaffordable for Pell Grant recipients >

Addressing financial barriers

“[O]ne of the big obstacles for low-income families is understanding what the costs are going to be” and the ability to plan accordingly, says John Gunkel, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and strategic partnerships at Rutgers University-Newark, where 64% of Pell Grant recipients graduate within six years. Currently, the Pell Grant is capped at $7,395 each academic year, and most recipients earn below $30,000 a year. State and institutional financial aid usually make up the difference between the Pell Grant and remaining tuition and fees. 

To provide more transparency about out-of-pocket college costs, Gunkel and his colleagues at Rutgers-Newark restructured financial aid packages about 10 years ago for students and families. The packages now show college costs over four years; the university also makes available emergency aid for unexpected situations and funds to support expenses such as technology purchases.

Related: Over 360 colleges pledge to give students clearer, more accurate financial aid offers >

Academic support

MSU is working to ensure low-income students have the academic foundation and confidence they need for success. Nearly half of MSU undergraduates are Pell Grant recipients, and 63% graduate within six years, according to the most recent federal data. The university is one of 42 New Jersey colleges partnering with the state’s Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), which supports low-income college students by providing financial assistance and support services. Through this partnership, MSU offers a five-week summer bootcamp for incoming first-year, low-income students. Participants take classes for college credit, receive tutoring and advising, and learn about campus resources.

“I gained the confidence I needed,” said Reyes Velasco, a first-year student who attended the summer bootcamp. “And I really feel like I have an edge now, where I know what to expect in fall semester, I know how to act.”

Likewise, UC Riverside and Rutgers-Newark also offer incoming students who test into a developmental math or writing course the opportunity to take the course on campus before their first year so they can begin with a solid foundation. UC Riverside offers financial aid to students participating in its summer program, while Rutgers covers the cost internally.

UC Riverside—where in the 2021-22 school year 46% of first-year students received Pell Grants and 75% of Pell recipients graduated within six years—also gives students enrolled in introductory “gateway” college-level courses the option to join study groups led by peers who have done well in those classes. Students who initially fail the gateway courses can get a stipend to take it over again with additional academic support. 

‘High-impact practices’

At UC Merced, where almost 60% of first-year students receive Pell Grants and 68% of low-income students graduate within six years, students can participate in learning communities where students live together, take classes and workshops together, and attend weekly dinners with faculty, who may give career advice, advise them on which classes to take, and eventually become their mentors.

The learning communities, along with first-year seminars, writing-intensive courses, service learning, internships, and study abroad, are “high-impact practices” that can boost student learning and success, experts say. Research has shown that these offerings can increase student GPA, retention, and graduation rates, especially among students who participate in more than one, and particularly for Black and Latine students, first-generation college students, and low-income students. In addition, services tailored to students from immigrant communities and undocumented students can help ensure they feel at home and are positioned for success.