Why College Access for Low-Income Students is important

College Access for Low-Income Students

While low-income students have seen the largest gains in college aspirations, they have not maintained similar gains in college enrollment figures. Barriers to college access can prevent these students from enrolling in college post-graduation (The White House, United States Government, 2016).

​College counselors have a large influence on a high school student's college choices, but high schools serving predominantly low-income and minority students have counselor-to-student ratios at twice the national average, with 1 counselor for every 1,000 students. These counselors do not have adequate time to address the needs of each individual student with such an overload (Hurwitz & Howell, 2013). ​
Methods to lower access barriers include:
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  • Summer enrichment programs
  • College visits
  • Promotion of college culture throughout grades 6-12
  • Advising on financial aid eligibility
  • Information on application fee waivers
  • so students know how college can be affordable
    ​(The White House, United States Government, 2014).

​Students often undermatch to colleges, meaning they choose to attend less-selective colleges because they are not fully aware of their options or how competitive of a candidate they are. Relative to their higher income peers, low-income students are less likely to attend the colleges that give them the best chance of success. More selective institutions tend to have better education outcomes and more student support resources, even after controlling for student ability.

Fast Facts

  • 52% of children from the bottom income quintile enrolled in postsecondary education right after high school (Ma et al., 2016)
  • 82% of students from the top income quintile enrolled in postsecondary education right after high school (Ma et al., 2016)
  • Only 8% of high-achieving low-income students are "achievement typical", meaning they applied to institutions that match their high academic abilities (Hoxby & Avery, 2013)
  • While 1 in 2 people from high-income families have a bachelor’s degree by age 25, just 1 in 10 people from low-income families do. (Duncan & Murnane, 2011)
  • College graduates earn on average of 62% more in annual wages than those without a college degree (Alleman et al, 2008)​
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collegeboard.org

Decreasing Access

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Many of the colleges that are highly accessible to low-income students became less accessible in the past 15 years, according to the Equality of Opportunity research team. Of colleges with high-income mobility, namely mid-tier public institutions, the fraction of low-income students enrolled fell sharply over this time period. This number did not change substantially at elite private institutions though, many of which have the resources to be need-blind in their admissions practices (Chetty et al., 2017)

VIrginia College Access Providers

To most effectively provide college access services, students need to be introduced to these resources in high school, or even middle school. In 2008, SCHEV researchers identified 450 college access providers throughout the state. To the right is a map of providers by school district, and it includes 15 districts with no providers (Alleman, Stimpson, & Holly, 2008). For more information, you can view our list of regional access providers or SCHEV's Overview of College Access Resources in Virginia.
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State Council of Higher Education in Virginia