Tag: low-income students

February 14, 2023

In education policy and public debate, we often talk about students from “low-income” families. That descriptor is typically based on data from the National School Lunch Program, which provides qualified students with school meals for free or at a reduced […]

January 28, 2022

A new report from Third Way, a public policy think tank, evaluates colleges by ranking them on an economic mobility index, which looks at the return on investment for low-income students and the percentage of Pell Grant–eligible students that each […]

January 18, 2022

A group of 15 colleges and universities was selected to receive $10 million in grants as part of an initiative by the Strada Education Network and the Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity, a group of campus leaders focused on […]

October 12, 2021

Everyone I know in higher education — and at this point in my career, I know quite a few of you — is 100 percent dedicated to the idea of college as an engine of opportunity. We may disagree on […]

July 21, 2021

The report highlights problems that have long plagued colleges but the pandemic brought into focus, including anemic state higher ed funding and whether public financial aid programs efficiently target students who most need them. Too often, schools that receive large […]

June 23, 2021

Grace College, a private Christian institution in Indiana, will offer free tuition to eligible low-income students in the state starting in the fall, according to an announcement by the college Monday. Incoming students will qualify for the funding if they […]

May 5, 2020

The massive economic shock we have begun to experience will generate enormous pressures on public institutions to increase tuition, the same way it did during the Great Recession a decade ago. Our recent study shows that those tuition increases drove […]

April 16, 2020

When the new coronavirus forced campus closures and upended higher education, colleges scrambled to stitch together emergency support for their most vulnerable students. Fearing it wouldn’t be enough, many low-income students armed with Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal accounts turned […]

January 9, 2020

Myriad studies have highlighted potential barriers to paying for college, especially among low-income students and other vulnerable populations. A recent report from the National College Access Network identified fewer than half of U.S. public colleges as being affordable for poor […]

May 31, 2019

Based on NCAN’s calculation, an average student would still on the hook for $2,118 at a four-year public college in 2017-18 even after taking into account all aid, loans and family contributions. That’s an increase from $1,174 in 2012-13. The […]

February 5, 2019

Students are leaving financial aid dollars on the table. That’s preventing some from enrolling in colleges they don’t realize they can afford. “Often they don’t know, or are confused by, the options,” said James Applegate, a visiting professor at the […]

November 5, 2018

States are growing more committed to graduating students faster and with less debt. In May, Virginia’s public Longwood University approved a plan to discount tuition by $250 for students enrolled in at least 30 credits during the 2018-19 school year. […]

July 20, 2018

The college will still need to show success to receive accreditation, which would allow students to receive federal Pell grants. The grants are critical for low-income students, but often under-utilized by immigrant populations concerned about disclosing their legal status. The […]

June 18, 2018

Last-dollar funding has advocates and detractors. A comparison by the Association of Community College Trustees says that it does not help to pay extra costs besides tuition and room and board associated with college attendance unlike first-dollar support. Researchers have […]

February 8, 2016

College completion rates have stagnated, and lower-income students in particular face long odds of getting to graduation. Two new studies, however, show that low-income students can graduate at high rates when they receive financial and academic supports from external groups. […]