WASFAA - Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

April/May 2002

Online Publication

We are in an "access crisis." Is it a myth to tell students that "if you study hard, the doors to college will be open"?

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The Access Crisis
by Tami Sato, Southern CA College of Optometry

One of the goals of the Pell Grant program was to give students "access and choice." Results of the report, "Access Denied: Restoring the Nation's Commitment to Equal Education Opportunity," shows that "choice" should no longer be part of the goal. The conclusion of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance is that this largest federal grant program is not even offering access to all academically qualified students. For families with incomes under $25,000, less than 50% of the college-age population attend a 4-year public institution. Out of 415,000 minority, low-income college-prepared students, 91,000 or 22% just do not go to college and 199,000 or 21% do not get into 2-year colleges. Only 12% persist to obtain a B.A., but it takes an average of 5 years. You can access the full report and graphs at www.ed.gov/offices/AC/ACSFA

The Pell Grant program was recently approved for a record high $4,000 level, but even after subtracting grants, loans and work earnings, low-income families come up about $3,700 short to cover education expenses. This is an amount that they cannot come up with.

Many factors affect the persistence of those low income students who do make it: One-third of low income students work more than 30 hours per week; 50% do not live on campus; and 45% are not full-time students. Low-income students need protection from the work/debt overload in undergraduate schools so that they can continue to graduate and professional levels.

We are in an "access crisis." Is it a myth to tell students that "if you study hard, the doors to college will be open"?

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