BraxtonBudo,MatthewCharchenko,RobertKeaney,TaylorYoo

JessieRichards
Writing2010005
March7th2016

ChallengesFacedbyLowIncomeStudentsinHigherEducation

BraxtonsSources:
Tuitioncosts

1. Wildavsky,Ben."IsThattheRealPrice?"U.S.News&WorldReport127.9(1999):
6468.Web.4Mar.2016.

EconomistandMacalesterCollegePresidentMikeMcPhersonstatesthatwhiletuitionrates
acrossthecountryarerising,thestickerpriceisntalwayscorrect.McPhersonreferences
certaintuitiondeductionsthathavebeenputinplacetohelpstudentsminimizedebt.Some
institutionsevenmatchothercollegestuitionratestoincreaseattendanceattheirschool.While
someofthesespecialoffersforstudentscandrasticallylowercostoftuition,room,board,etc,
somecollegesaremaximizingrevenuebygivingfouraffluentstudentsa$5,000dollargrant
insteadofgivingonepoorstudenta$20,000dollargrant.Thiswillbringinfourtimesthetuition
cost,insteadofonestudent'stuition.Whilehesayscollegesareworththemoneyinthelong
run,theyrestilltryingtomakeaprofit.

2.Sanchez,Claudio."CollegeTuitionCostsOnTheRise."Npr.org.
Http://www.npr.org.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130895432,28Oct.
2010.Web.4Mar.2016.

Ms.SandyBaum(CoAuthor,"TrendsinCollegePricing")claimsthattuitionandtherelated
feesatfouryearpubliccollegesarenowaveragedtobeapproximately$7,600.Withthe
additionofroomandboard,thecostjumpsuptoaround$16,000.Therehasbeenanincrease
withstudentsborrowingmoneytopayforschool,butthatnumberisntrisingasquicklyas
tuitionis.Collegestudentswhosefamiliesmakesoverabout$50,000arebeingtoldatpublic
institutions,thattheymustpaythefullprice.Baummentionsthatstudentsandparentsshould
attempttotakeadvantageofasmuchfinancialaidorscholarshipsthatareavailable,andthat
theapplicationprocessisnotsomethingthatshouldbesavedtillthelastminute.Itisan
importantprocessthatneedstobedonecorrectly.

3.Sobel,AnnE.K."TheEscalatingCostofCollege."TheCincinnatiEnquirer(2013):8587.
Ieeexplore.Web.4Mar.2016.
Thearticlesuggeststhatstudentsandparentsarefoundwantingmorefromuniversities.This
increasedwantmaybecausinganincreaseintuitionandotherfees.MiamiUniversitypresident
DavidHodge,talksaboutincreasedtuitionandhowincreaseweareseeingisduepartlytoa
reducedstatefunding.Heclaimsthattheincreasemayalsobepartofincreasedexpected
supportforstudentsthatareoutsidetheareaofeducation.Figure1ofthearticleshowsthat

tuitionhasdoubledalmostthreetimessince1980,andtodaysstudentloandebtisabout$1
trilliondollarscombined.Moreandmorecollegesareputtingstudentsmoneyintothingssuch
asfacilities,andathleticstobringthecollegemorerevenue.Universitiesarebigbusinessthat
makeonlyafractionoftotalprofitfromstudenttuition.
4.Wildavsky,Ben."AFreezeIsonatWilliams."U.S.News&WorldReport.128.2(2000).
Ebscohost.Web.4Mar.2016.

Williamscollegeisfreezingitstuitionforitsstudents.Thearticlereferenceshowsomeschools
aregoingtofollowandothersaregoingadifferentrouteinregardstotuition.Economists
predictthatthefreezewillhelpWilliamscollegegettheupperhandonitscompetitors.Other
schoolshavesaidthattheyaresatisfiedwithhowfinancialaidhasworkedforstudents.Mike
McPherson,aformerteacheratWilliamsCollege,saysthatthereislittletobegainedbyan
acrosstheboardtuitioncut.Studentswhoarefinancialaidwillnotbeaffectedbyanincreasein
tuitionbecausethefinancialaidwillincreaseaccordingly.

5.Wolf,JoshuaShenk."TwoplusTwoEqualsLowerTuitionCosts."U.S.News&WorldReport
123.9(1997):84.Ebscohost.Web.4Mar.2016.

Withthecostsoftuitionincreasing,collegesarebecomingharderforstudentsandtheirfamilies
toafford.Inthisarticle,Shenkurgesstudentstolookatthetwoplustwoapproach.Goingtoa
twoyearcommunitycollegeandtransferringtoafouryearuniversity.Researchshowsthat
thereisnobenefitforstudentswhostartoutatafouryearuniversityapposedtoatwoyear.
Twoyearinstitutionsarenowreachingagreementswithfouryearuniversitiesthatallowsall
earnedcreditstotransferovertothefouryearschools,allowingstudentsaneasytransition.
Thecostbenefitswouldprovetobeadvantageousforthetwoyearsspentatatwoyearcollege,
thentransferringallcreditstothefouryearuniversity.

6.Sullivan,Daniel.Areyougettingwhatyoupayfor?(2004):Ebscohost,Web.4Mar.2016
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ab75834acf2f
4be4ba0b3da8ad1c8688%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4107

Theaveragecollegestudentwillspendaboutasmuchmoneyattendingapublicuniversityas
anoutofstateindependentcollege.Universitiesareunderperforminginregardstoontime
degreeattainment.Highretentionratesreducewhateconomistscallopportunitycost.
Collegesanduniversitiescanlowerthestudentandfamilycostofcollegeattendanceto
improveretentionratesaswellasincreasingthefouryeargraduationrate.

TaylorsSources:
Scholarships,Enrollment,andStudentLoans

7.Campbell,FrancesA.andRamey,CraigT.EffectsofEarlyInterventiononIntellectualand
AcademicAchievement:AFollowUpStudyofChildrenfromLowIncomeFamilies.Child
Development,Vol.65,No.2,ChildrenandPoverty(Apr.,1994),pp.684698

Variousstatisticshaveshownthatstudentsfromlowincomefamiliesgenerallytendtohave
loweracademicachievementthanthestudentsfrommoreprivilegedfamilies.Thearticle
EffectsofEarlyInterventiononIntellectualandAcademicAchievement:FollowUpStudyof
ChildrenfromLowIncomeFamiliesbyFrancesA.CampbellandCraigT.Rameyinvestigate
furtherintothesourceofthisissueandoffersasolutionbyearlyinterventionduringtheir
academiccareers.Theyarguethatearliertheintroductionofeducationtothechildrenin
lowincomefamilies,thebettertheoddsareforthemtosucceedinschool,Thepresentdatado
implythat,forimpoverishedchildren,theearlierinthelifespaneducationoccurs,thegreaterits
benefitislikelytobe.(Campbell&Craig694).Insteadoffocusingonthefinancialaspectsof
StudentAidandScholarships,thetwoauthorstargettheacademicauthoritiesandstatehow
thestudentsfromthesefamiliescansuccessfullyimprovetheiracademicsuccess.

8.Dearden,Lorraine,EmlaFitzsimons,andGillWyness.Moneyfornothing:Estimatingthe
impactofstudentaidonparticipationinhighereducationEconomicsofEducationReview43
(2014)pp.6678

Studentaidisoftenthoughtofasawayforstudentsfromlowincomehousestorelievethemof
theirfinancialpressuresofhighereducation.AlthoughStudentaidisacceptedbythepublic
majorityasahelpfulsourceforlowincomestudents,thearticleMoneyforNothing:Estimating
theImpactofStudentAidonParticipationinHigherEducationtakesafurtherlookintothe
effectsofStudentAidtoseeifitwasactuallyhelpingtheintendedstudents.Theauthorsofthis
articleultimatelyarguethatforStudentAidtomakeasignificantimpactonlowincomestudent
enrollment,thefederalgovernmentmustincreasetheamountofgrantsinordertocompensate
fortheskyrocketingcostsoftuition,Becauseofthesedramaticincreasesincosts,theUK
governmenthasemphasisedtheirclearcommitmenttomaintainingnonrepayablesubsidiesfor
poorstudents,withthe2014maximumstudentgrantsiringtoapproximately34000Eurosper
year.(Dearden77).VarioussurveysinthisarticlehaveproventhatStudentaidisindeeda
positivepolicy.Howeverinordertomaintainthesepositivestatistics,theauthorsreachoutto
thefederalgovernmenttoincreasefundingforgovernmentgrantsortheUniversitiesinorderto
lowthecostoftuition.

9.Venegas,KristanM.,InternetInequalities:FinancialAid,theInternet,andLowIncome
Students.AmericanBehavioralScientistVol.49No.12,August,2006(16521669)

Theadvancementoftechnologyhasmadeitpossibleforstudentstoapplyforaids,loans,and
collegesfasterthanever.However,thearticleInternetInequalities:FinancialAid,theInternet,
andLowIncomeStudentsbyKristanM.Venegasarguesthatstudentsfromlowincome
housesaredeprivedtheknowledgeofutilizingthesevariousresourcesavailabletothem.
Venegasintroducesthenotionthatalthoughadequatefinancialaidandscholarshipsare
availabletothesestudents,notmanyofthemknowhowtoaccessandapplyforthem,They
weretypicallyawareofthefederalfinancialaidprocessviatheFAFSAandWebbased
scholarshipsearchenginesstudentsdisplayedalackofknowledgeaboutthefollowing
throughprocessesoffinancialaid.Thisarticleisintendedtotargetacademicstaff/counselorsin

hopesthattheywillfurthereducatethesestudentsaboutproperuseoftheseamazingtools
rightundertheirnoses.

10.Valentine,Deborah,AccesstoHigherEducation:AChallengetoSocialWorkEducators.
JournalofSocialWorkEducation,vol.40No.2(summer2004)pp.179184

Highereducationultimatelyaffectsthenation'sintellectualprosperityandsuccess.Therehas
beenanincreaseofstudentsattendingHigherEducationthaneverbefore,butmanyaredenied
accesstohighereducationbecauseofthecontroversialriseoftuitioncosts.ThearticleAccess
toHigherEducationbyDeborahValentinerevealstheissuessurroundingtherisingcostof
highereducationandthelackofsupportbythefederalgovernmenttocompensatefortherising
cost.Theauthormainlyarguesthatinordertobetterthisnation'sfuture,policiesthattake
fundingawayfromhighereducationmustberestricted,Itisimportantthatwechallenge
policiesthatlimitpeoplesabilitytoaccesshighereducationandtakeactiontopromotesocial
andeconomicjusticebysupportingeffortsthatincreaseaccessibilitytohighereducation.
(Valentine183).Theauthorseemstobespeakingouttothegovernmentauthoritiesand
officialsresponsibleforpassingsuchlegislatures.

11.Houle,JasonN.,DisparitiesinDebt:ParentsSocioeconomicResourcesandYoungAdult
StudentLoanDebt,SociologyofEducationVol.87No.1pp.5369

Evenwiththestudentaidsandscholarshipsavailabletothepublic,theburdenofstudentdebt
isconstantlyloomingoverthestudentbody.ThearticleDisparitiesinDebtbyJasonN.Houle
investigatesfurtherintostudentdebtbyresearchingvariousfamilygroupswithdifferentincome
rates.Theauthorlaterarguesthatstudentsfromlowincomehousesultimatelyturntodebtto
payforhighereducation,thusincreasingtheriskforfinancialfailure,Youngadultsfrom
lowSESandmiddleincomebackgroundsaremorelikelythantheirmoreadvantaged
counterpartstoturntodebtasawaytopayforcollege.(Houle67).Thisissignificantbecause
therelationshipoffinancialsuccessanddebtaredirectlyproportionatetoeachother,andlower
incomestudentsaresignificantlymorelikelytogointodebtinordertopayforhighereducation,
andasaresult,thegapbetweenthelowerclassandtheupperclasswidens.Theauthortargets
theeducationalauthoritiessothattheymaylowerthecostoftuitionineffortstolessthe
financialgap.

12.DavidColeman,DanPorterfield,SalKhan,JanetNapolitano,narr.WhiteHouseSummit
MorningPanelDiscussion:EnrollingLowIncomeStudentsJan.162014.Video.
Youtube,
Youtube,Jan.162014,Web.Jan.302014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEXtp0GQmGg>

Itisstatisticallyignoranttobelievethatalllowincomestudentsareincapableofachieving
academicsuccess.ReportsatTheWhiteHouseSummitMorningPanelDiscussiononJan.
16,2014showthatlowincomestudentsaremorethancapableofgoingaboveandbeyond
academicachievement,andyet,eveninthemidstofthisevidence,lowincomestudentsare

failingtoevenapplyingtohighereducation.Thespeakersalsoaddressthatinordertopropel
thenationseconomicandacademicsuccess,theboardofeducationmustdramatically
increaseaidbudgets.However,DanPorterfieldexplicitlystatedthatthebiggeraidbudget
wasntforallofthestudents,butinsteadnarrowedthesearchforstudentsthataredrivenand
motivatedforthepursuitofknowledge.The4speakerstargeteveryonewhosinterestedinthe
pursuitofhighereducationtobreakthemyththatlowincomestudentsareincapableof
succeeding,buttheymaybeabletodosowiththerightamountofselfmotivationandsupport.

MatthewsSources:
Race

13.Donough,PatriciaM,andShannonCalderone."TheMeaningofMoneyPerceptual

DifferencesBetweenCollegeCounselorsandLowIncomeFamiliesAbout

CollegeCostsandFinancialAid."AmericanBehavioralScientist49.12

(2006):170318.Print.

McDonoughandCalderonefocusmoreonpeoplesperceptionofmoneyandhowitrelatesto
lowincomestudentsratherthanfocusingontheactualadmissionsprocess.Accordingto
McDonoughandCalderone,oneofthebiggestbarrierslowincomestudentsfacewhenapplying
forcollegeisunderstandinghowmuchaidtheycanreceiveandwheretheycangetitfrom.
Accordingtothestudy,collegecounselorsoftendonotgiveenoughinformationaboutfinancial
aidanddonotdoenoughtodispelmythsaboutthecostofcollege,whichthendetersstudents
fromapplyingforaidandgoingtocollege.DonoughandCalderonespointstendedtoalignwith
thoseofDongbin,andThayer.Astheyallspentmoretimefocusingonhowstudentshandletheir
moneyandwheretheygotoaccessloansandscholarships.

14.Kane,ThomasJ."RacialandEthnicPreferencesinCollegeAdmissions."OhioStateLaw

Journal59.3(1998):97196.Print.

Kanefocusesontheadmissionsprocessofuniversitiesandhowitrelatestoraceinhispiece.He
claimsthatcollegesareenticingminoritystudentstoenrollincollegesinwhichtheyarenot
adequatelypreparedfor.Inhisresearch,KanediscoveredthattheaveragecollegeGPAof
studentsofcolorwas0.3pointslowerthantheirwhitecounterparts.Thesediscrepanciesgrow
evenmoreonceotherparametersarefactoredin.Hegoesontostatethatifcollegesfocustoo
muchonrace,theywillbesettingstudentsupforfailureincollege.

15,Kim,Dongbin."TheEffectofFinancialAidonStudents'CollegeChoice:Differencesby
RacialGroups."
ResearchinHigherEducation
45.1(2004):4370.Print.


KimDongbinsarticle
TheEffectofFinancialAidonStudentsCollegeChoice
,offersan
interestingperspectiveintohowstudentschoosetheircollegesbasedonrace.Accordingtoher
study,whitepeoplechosetheirfirstchoicecollegesbasedonloansandgrants.StudentsofAsian
Americandescentoftendecidedtogototheschoolsthatofferedthemostloansorgrants.Onthe
otherhand,studentsofLatinoorAfricanAmericandescentschoiceswerenotimpactedbythe
amountofgrantsandloanstheyreceived.Whichiscontrarytowhatmostpeoplewithexpect
withlowincomestudents.

16.GeorgeD.Kuh.andTyM.Cruce.andRickShoup.andJillianKinzie.andRobertM.
Gonyea."UnmaskingtheEffectsofStudentEngagementonFirstYearCollegeGrades
andPersistence."
TheJournalofHigherEducation
79.5(2008):540563.
ProjectMUSE
.
Web.4Mar.2016.<https://muse.jhu.edu/>.

Accordingtostudyinthelate1990s,only51percentofstudentsthatenrolledintoauniversity
graduated.Thatratedropsdownto46percentforstudentsofcolor.Whilesomemayinitially
lookatcollegeadmissionsandseethatmoreminoritystudentsareenrollinginuniversities,the
completionrateismuchlowerincomparisontotheirwhitecounterparts.Inordertotryand
understandwhytheseratesweresolow,Kuhfirstlookedatstudentsstudyhabitsandhowit
relatedtotheirACTscores.HethentookthoseresultsandcomparedtheACTscorestotheir
GPA.Hethendiscoveredthatinvolvementinpurposefulactivitiesatcollegeincreasedfirstyear
studentsgrades.Interestingly,KuhreferencesaresearchstudyconductedbyHurtadoabout
diversityinuniversitiesandhowitrelatestoinvolvementandgraduation.

17.Sellers,RobertM.,TabbyeM.Chavous,andDeannaY.Cooke."RacialIdeologyandRacial
CentralityasPredictorsofAfricanAmericanCollegeStudents'AcademicPerformance."
JournalofBlackPsychology24.1(1998):827.Print.

Inthisresearchstudy,theauthorsfocusonwhytheacademicperformanceofAfricanAmerican
studentsatuniversitieshasdeclinedsincethe1970s.Oneofthestudiestheyciteintheirpaper
statesthatstudentsthatwentintocollegeunderstandingtheirracetypicallyhadworseresults
thanotherAfricanAmericanswhowentintocollegebelievingtheideaofracelessness.Their
researchcorrelateswithKanesresearchonvariousfactorsthataffectstudentsachievement.
Theydeterminedthatracialidentityhadalargeeffectonwhetherornotstudentswereableto
achieveacademically.


18.Thayer,Paul."RetentionofStudentsfromFirstGenerationandLowIncomeBackground."
TheJournaloftheCouncilforOpportunityinEducation(2000):29.Print.

Inhisarticle,Thayerexplainsthatcollegegraduationrateshavebeensteadilydecliningwith
ratesnearing50percentby1999.AccordingtoThayer,studentsfromlowincomebackgrounds,
particularlylowincomeminoritystudents,arelesslikelytograduatefromcollegeandareeven
lesslikelytopursuefurthereducationafterundergraduateeducation.Somestudiessuggestthat
aslittleas5percentoflowincomestudentsgraduatefromcollege.Thayersuggeststhatcolleges
shouldcreatebetterstudentsupportserviceprogramsinordertogivelowincomestudentsthe
toolstheyneedtograduate.