The number of undergraduates at U.S. colleges and universities has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, a Pew Research Study found. This growth is fueled almost exclusively by an influx of students from low-income families and students of color.
But the crumbling government support for higher education has made obtaining a four-year degree increasingly inaccessible to low-income students, particularly students of color, as tuition and fees increases have required greater borrowing.
The 2016 college enrollment rate from high-income families (the most recent data available) was 83%, whereas the rate for students from low-income families was 67%. These numbers equate to a 16% gap in immediate college enrollment rates for high- and low-income students.
Low-income students come from families with annual incomes of the lowest 20% nationally (around $40,000) or below 200% of the federal poverty line. These students face unique financial challenges, which makes higher education seem implausible.
Barriers Low-Income Students Face in Admissions
Higher education institutions face challenges, including enrolling in an academically competitive class while meeting students’ financial needs and the university’s budget. Students from low-income backgrounds continue to have difficulties fitting into this equation.
An April 2022 study found that while state funding for public higher education declined 20% per full-time student between 2001 and 2020, tuition and fees at four-year institutions rose an average of 59 percent.
The report also found that financial aid has failed to keep pace with rising costs being shifted onto families, falling 35% for full-time students- from $595 to $386 when median household earnings have climbed 13%.
First, the college admissions process involves submitting an application and paying the corresponding application fee. In the U.S., colleges charge different rates for applications.
On average, the college application fee is about $50. Among 62 four-year institutions with the highest application fees, the average is $77. A student’s total application costs can quickly increase as they apply to more than one school. Since 2014, almost 36% of first-time college applicants have sent applications to seven or more colleges.
The top five colleges in the U.S. that currently charge higher than average application fees are the University of California – San Diego, Arkansas Baptist College, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Duke University,
Many institutions are highly concerned about first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented minority students applying to college. Many of these students may hold off applying to college as their financial situation is uncertain.
"We risk losing an entire generation of underrepresented students on college campuses," Bill DeBaun, director of data and evaluation at National College Attainment Network, told CBS MoneyWatch.
"Low-income students, students of color, first-generation students are much more likely to be derailed from this process, and there is no guarantee that if we don't support them early on in their senior years to get the FAFSA completed — it's unclear if they'll ever get back on track,” DeBaun continued.
A large share of students from low-income families attend schools that are less selective than schools they could qualify for. This "undermatching" means that students attend institutions with average test scores significantly below their own, indicating that they could have attended a more competitive school.
Low-income students of color often face social differences between them and their middle- or upper-class peers. The social cues and cultural norms that higher-status children acquire as part of their socialization are often tightly tied to parental education.
Children acquire cultural capital through parental behaviors and practices. Therefore, cultural capital is a way that parents transmit advantages to their children. Middle and upper-class parents help their children navigate the college experience, advising about courses and majors. Thus, beyond parental education, knowledge about navigating college makes college completion more likely.
Low-income and minority students are disadvantaged in a privatized context because they do not have the resources to compete effectively with wealthy students.
Unsurprisingly, extracurricular participation rates also vary by social class, and students who must work (low-income) are less able to participate in social activities. Therefore, low-income students are often excluded from the social aspect of the college experience.
A study of 12,000 students from 200 plus colleges showed that students from low-income backgrounds were less involved in extracurriculars than their higher-class peers. These activities are far more common among middle and upper-class children, boosting overall school engagement.
Organizations for Low-Income Students
Government intervention in the free education market can combat the distributional consequences of current financial aid rules and other disadvantages for low-income and minority students.
But programs also exist to help low-income students overcome the challenges of higher education and succeed in their schooling. These programs review school policies, work with students to create plans, find scholarship opportunities, reward good grades, and advocate for equal opportunity.
The following five organizations work hard to ensure that students with low-income backgrounds won’t be overlooked or mistreated in education:
Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS)
Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) mission is to strengthen educator and system leader capacity to break down barriers to increase access, belonging, and success in rigorous college and career-prep secondary school courses for students of color and low-income students.
EOS has helped nearly 800 schools in 250 districts across 33 states identify students of color and low-income students who qualify for but still need to be added to advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes.
MDRC
MDRC is committed to finding solutions to some of the nation's most challenging problems — from reducing poverty and bolstering economic self-sufficiency to improving public education and college graduation rates.
MDRC distributes aid money on a fixed, bi-weekly basis, helping students achieve a healthy balance of time and dedication between school and a job. This balance eases stress and gives students more time to study and do their homework, improving grades and graduation rates.
The Education Trust
The Education Trust advances policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. Through research and advocacy, Ed Trust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to educational equity and justice, and increases the political and public will to build an education system where students thrive.
QuestBridge
QuestBridge is a platform that connects the nation's brightest students from low-income backgrounds with leading higher education institutions and further opportunities. QuestBridge aims to increase the percentage of talented low-income students attending the nation's best universities and the ranks of national leadership itself by facilitating these exchanges.
National College Access Network (NCAN)
National College Access Network (NCAN) utilizes four strategies to assist states, schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropists to provide better education access to low-income and underrepresented students.
NCAN ensures that those who help students are well-trained and well-informed, focusing on issues like rising tuition costs, confusing college applications, financial aid, and the lack of resources. The program also advocates for equality, diversity, and positive change in education.
