{"id":43613,"date":"2018-05-08T13:09:38","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T20:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=43613"},"modified":"2018-05-08T13:09:38","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T20:09:38","slug":"why-graduation-rates-lag-for-low-income-college-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-graduation-rates-lag-for-low-income-college-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Why graduation rates lag for low-income college students"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nAs college students nationwide prepare for graduation, a new analysis has shown that\u00a0just under half of all those who receive Pell Grants<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the federal government\u2019s main form of direct financial aid for low-income students \u2013 finish their four-year degree programs on time.<\/p>\n

The federal government considers \u201con time\u201d being six years for a four-year degree. The maximum federal\u00a0Pell Grant program<\/a>\u00a0award for the current school year is US$5,920. Next school year, the award will rise to $6,095.<\/p>\n

So, why are so many low-income college students not completing their degrees within this time frame? The question is an important one because last year the federal government spent\u00a0$26.9 billion dollars<\/a>\u00a0on Pell Grants. It\u2019s also important because Pell Grant recipients can expect to earn\u00a0substantially higher salaries<\/a>\u00a0if they complete their degrees.<\/p>\n

Speaking as a researcher who\u00a0focuses on issues of performance at public institutions<\/a>, the available data suggest the reason Pell Grant recipients have lower graduation rates is related to both the nature of the colleges these students attend, as well as the personal barriers these students face.<\/p>\n

Compared to other college students,\u00a0those receiving Pell Grants<\/a>\u00a0are more likely to belong to a racial minority, to have parents who never went to college, and to be parents themselves.<\/p>\n

Personal barriers to success<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As a result of their backgrounds, Pell Grant students \u2013 like other low-income students \u2013 tend to\u00a0face many unique personal barriers<\/a>\u00a0to completing a college degree, such as being a single parent or not going straight to college out of high school.<\/p>\n

Completing a degree is\u00a0more difficult<\/a>\u00a0for students who are parenting children, especially for single parents. With less support available from parents and other family members, Pell Grant students can feel a strong pull to pause their studies and\u00a0start working<\/a>, especially if they encounter unexpected expenses, such as significant medical bills or car repairs.<\/p>\n

Pell Grant students are often less academically prepared for college than their peers. For example, Pell Grant students tend to have\u00a0lower SAT\/ACT scores<\/a>\u00a0and graduate from high schools that don\u2019t offer a rigorous curriculum. This is unsurprising given that academic success in K-12 education systems in the U.S. is highly correlated with\u00a0income and race<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, since research suggests that family members who have gone through college are often an\u00a0important source of information<\/a>\u00a0about how to succeed in college, those who are first-generation college students miss out on a significant source of motivation and advice.<\/p>\n

College quality<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The\u00a0new analysis<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which comes from a\u00a0center-left<\/a>\u00a0think tank called Third Way \u2013 shows that most four-year colleges have lower graduation rates for Pell Grant students than for students not receiving Pell Grants. But as the published data from the analysis also shows, Pell Grant students also tend to go to schools with lower overall graduation rates.<\/p>\n

Many colleges in the U.S. have very low graduation rates. Nationwide,\u00a0only 59 percent<\/a>\u00a0of students who enroll full time in a bachelor\u2019s degree program complete their degree within six years, although the Third Way report\u2019s data indicate that figure rises to 67 percent if Pell Grant students are excluded from the calculation.<\/p>\n

The top schools in a given state typically have much higher graduation rates. These top schools are generally admitting highly qualified students, who are the most likely ones to complete a degree anyway. But studies suggest college quality also plays a role in determining the likelihood that a student will\u00a0finish their degree<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lower-quality schools often have\u00a0fewer financial resources<\/a>, which makes it harder for them to offer\u00a0students support<\/a>\u00a0in the form of advising, tutoring or small classes.<\/p>\n

Given lower levels of academic preparation, students eligible for Pell Grants likely find it harder to be admitted to the highest-quality colleges in the country. This matters because attendance at a quality college\u00a0could<\/a>\u00a0boost their chances of graduating on time. Low-income students may also face a greater need to attend a college near their hometown, particularly if they wish to save money on living expenses by living with family. Some students who are geographically constrained will\u00a0lack having any high-quality colleges<\/a>\u00a0in their area.<\/p>\n

Potential solutions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

What can be done to improve graduation rates for low-income college students?<\/p>\n

The evidence suggests that increased support for students may help. For instance, a\u00a0recent analysis<\/a>\u00a0of a random control trial at a community college found that low-income students who received access to emergency financial assistance \u2013 in combination with a case manager \u2013 were much more likely to complete an associate\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n

Another recent study found evidence that\u00a0more students complete degrees<\/a>\u00a0when colleges have more funding.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Nathan Favero is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration & Policy at the American University School of Public Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As college students nationwide prepare for graduation, a new analysis has shown that\u00a0just under half of all those who receive Pell Grants\u00a0\u2013 the federal government\u2019s main form of direct financial aid for low-income students \u2013 finish their four-year degree programs on time. The federal government considers \u201con time\u201d being six years for a four-year degree. […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":43614,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[13320],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-43613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-graduation-rates"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy graduation rates lag for low-income college students - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-graduation-rates-lag-for-low-income-college-students\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why graduation rates lag for low-income college students - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As college students nationwide prepare for graduation, a new analysis has shown that\u00a0just under half of all those who receive Pell Grants\u00a0\u2013 the federal government\u2019s main form of direct financial aid for low-income students \u2013 finish their four-year degree programs on time. 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