A new report evaluates state financial aid programs and identifies how certain criteria for awarding aid can lock out students from historically marginalized communities.
Topics: Low-income students
NYC college recognized as leader in higher ed access and affordability
Praised by The New York Times as “an upward mobility machine,” New York’s Baruch College is one of several selective higher education institutions recognized for increasing enrollment of low-income students.
Defining ‘first-gen student’: New report explores complexities, limitations
A new brief explores what we can learn about students’ college preparedness by looking at the education history of each parent.
Transfer enrollment rises, with large gains among underrepresented students
Experts are cautiously optimistic after a new report shows the number of students transferring from two-year community colleges to four-year higher education institutions increased in Fall 2023, particularly among historically underrepresented groups.
A friendship formed at Georgetown is the inspiration behind new book for aspiring physicians
Five Georgetown University School of Medicine alumnae share their experiences as friends, medical students, and physicians in a new book, The Game Plan: A Woman’s Guide to Becoming a Doctor and Living a Life in Medicine, which they hope will inspire a new generation of women considering careers in medicine.
The access and transparency implications of differential tuition
Colleges and universities with differential tuition policies, in which students pay more for certain majors, are working to ensure they don’t create unintended barriers for students of color and first-generation, low-income college students.
No FAFSA data until March? Education officials add support amid delays.
After announcing that colleges may not receive students’ Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data until early March, Education Department officials said they are providing additional resources to help under-resourced schools and students manage the compressed financial aid process.
How to connect more students with crucial public benefits
A new policy brief calls on colleges to use readily available financial aid data to inform students of their potential eligibility for government assistance, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and subsidized health insurance.
Top universities intensify rural student recruitment
U.S. colleges and universities are working to boost the socioeconomic diversity of their incoming classes by strengthening pathways to college success for small-town and rural students.
Four-year institutions create two-year colleges to reduce barriers for low-income students
With support from a network, four-year colleges and universities are launching two-year colleges that create an alternative, affordable pathway for low-income students to earn an associate degree and transfer to a four-year program with little to no debt.
Academic requirements for financial aid are locking out students who need the most support
Experts say that making students’ federal financial aid conditional on “satisfactory academic progress” punishes students who have the fewest resources to help them complete their degree. State and federal lawmakers are working to create more student-friendly policies.
SAT score gaps reveal deeper inequality in education, opportunity
A New York Times story exploring students’ SAT results by income level shines a light on “the deep inequality at the heart of American education”—economic disparities that leave children from the most underserved neighborhoods without the tools they need to succeed.