THE IMPACT OF UNMET NEED ON ACCESS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

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THE IMPACT OF UNMET NEED ON ACCESS FOR
LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

• THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
• STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
• STAFF BRIEFING
• SEPTEMBER 13, 2001

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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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MAJOR FINDINGS OF ACCESS DENIED
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The Access Process The Influence of Financial
Factors
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First Relationship Concerns Over Perceived Unmet
Need
College-Qualified 1992 High School Graduates and
Their Parents Concerns about College Cost and
Financial Aid
Parents of high unmet need students are almost 5
times more likely to be very concerned about
perceived unmet need
High unmet need students are almost 3 1/2 times
more likely to be very concerned about college
costs and financial aid
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Second Relationship Expectations as a High
School Freshman
Compared to Students With Low Unmet Need, High
Unmet Need College-Qualified 1992 High School
Graduates Are
17 times more likely to expect no college
Almost 5 times more likely to expect only some
college
Only about 3/4 as likely to expect to finish
college
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Second Relationship (Continued) Plans Following
High School Graduation
Compared to Students With Low Unmet Need, High
Unmet Need College-Qualified 1992 High School
Graduates Are
More than 4 1/2 times more likely not to plan to
attend college immediately (or was not sure)
Almost 3 times more likely to plan to attend
two-year college
Only about 6/7 as less likely to plan to attend a
four-year college
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Third Relationship Test Taking and Applying
Compared to Students With Low Unmet Need, High
Unmet Need College-Qualified 1992 High School
Graduates Are
Over 2 1/2 times more likely to take exam and
not apply
Almost 3 times more likely to not take exam and
not apply
Over 2 3/4 times more likely to not apply
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Fourth Relationship Enrollment
Compared to Students With Low Unmet Need, High
Unmet Need College-Qualified 1992 High School
Graduates Are
Over 6 times more likely to be not enrolled in
any institution by 1994
Only about 5/8 as likely to be enrolled in any
four-year institution by 1994
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Fifth Relationship Persistence
Compared to Students With Low Unmet Need, High
Unmet Need College-Qualified 1992 High School
Graduates Are
Only 1/7 as likely to complete a four-year
college degree
About 3/5 as likely to be college-qualified
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Summary of The Effects of Unmet Need on
College-Qualified Students
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Advisory Committee Preliminary Findings

• Access has both an academic and financial
  dimension.
• A large pool of college-qualified low-income
  students exists - 140,606 qualified low SES
  students did not go to college and 193,038 did
  not go to a 4-year college
• That pool will grow significantly due to
  demographic trends already upon us - a 20
  increase in enrollment by 2010 - as well as
  improvements in academic preparation.
• Merely to hold the line on college participation
  of college-qualified low-income students will
  require a much greater commitment of funds to
  need-based student aid in the future, the nation
  faces a shortfall of over 3.2 billion dollars.
• Hence, policy analysis and development that
  ignore the financial dimension of access will
  reach false conclusions about the condition of
  access, the need for state and federal action,
  and the effects of alternative policies on
  access.
• In particular, policy analysis and development
  must consider both the perceptions of finances
  and the direct effects of prices and subsidies on
  low-income students throughout the entire
  education pipeline.