Studies show that far too many low-income students who excel in academics are not attending
selective colleges and universities. These students tend to apply to less selective schools for a
variety of reasons, not all of which are due to financial costs. However, a National Bureau of
Economic Research study tested an intervention program to educate students from that
population about the college application process and their net costs in tuition. Researchers hoped
that providing information about how affordable a selective college or university can be would
result in more applications.
The Expanding College Opportunities project tested academically successful, low-income
students, providing information on paying for college, expanding students’ knowledge about
higher education in general. The study found that a great deal of misinformation is keeping low-
income, academically motivated students from the high quality education they could have.
Many low-income students do not consider liberal arts schools because they don’t know what
that is. They may not consider themselves liberal. Many believe these are just art schools. Some
think they are for people who are bad at math; or that attending a liberal arts college will prevent
them from pursuing a graduate degree. When made aware that liberal arts schools do have math
and science majors and can be excellent preparation for graduate school, more low-income
students will consider them.
Serious students may also avoid their state’s flagship public university because it has the image
of a party school with a focus on sports, not academics. This is unfortunate because many states’
flagship universities provide excellent academics. Students who avoid these universities may
attend less competitive regional public universities that provide a lesser education. This also does
not get them as far in life.
If you are considering college or university, become informed on when and how to apply for
college. Even if your family is middle-income, if you are not actually rich, be sure to fill out the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early. You may be qualified for Work-Study
assistance and not know it; and receiving financial assistance that does not have to be paid back
is almost always a good thing. Double check your application to make sure you have filled
everything out; this greatly improves your chances of receiving aid.
If you believe that waste is a bad thing, then consider where your life is headed. By attending a
selective college or university, you can rise above your past. By attending a lesser school, you
will not get nearly as far. Find out which are the best schools and get all the help you can,
because there are more ways of paying for school than you might think; and not all of them will
burden you with heavy loan payments. Much college aid goes unclaimed. According to National
Public Radio, “Each year, some 2 million students who would qualify for Federal Pell Grants
don’t fill out the form – or don’t finish it.” Don’t waste your chances to succeed.
READERS, what do you think?
1. What did you find interesting about this study? Did you learn any information that could
be beneficial when you begin applying for college?
2. What are important factors that you look for in an educational institution?
References:
Hoxby, C., & Turner, S. (2015, January). What High-Achieving Low-Income Students Know
about College. (Working Paper 20861). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w20861.pdf.
Phillips, O. (2015, March 2). College: I'll Only Go If I Know (That I Can Afford It). National
Public Radio. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/03/02/389490257/college-i-ll-only-go-if-i-know-that-i-
can-afford-it.
