Expanding Access to College

Having the dream of attending postsecondary education is as important as having the means to attend. According to the U.S. Department of Education's report on "Factors Related to College Enrollment," those students who expect and prepare to attend an institution of higher education are more likely to actually enroll and attend the college or university. Only 19 percent of those in the eighth grade whose expectation is to graduate from high school actually attend a postsecondary institution. Conversely, 73 percent of those in the eighth grade who expect to obtain a bachelor's degree actually attend college. These statistics show that there is still a need for early intervention with students who, because of their socioeconomic status, race, age or gender, believe that a postsecondary education is not possible. It is vitally important for the future of our Nation that we reverse these beliefs in order to let every student, regardless of their background or expectations, know that postsecondary education is possible.

As early as eighth grade, students form their educational expectations and the type of courses taken as early as junior high school closely relate to postsecondary education attendance. We know that the end of high school is too late in most cases to inform students of their options for higher education opportunities. General information about postsecondary education and more specific information related to financial and academic preparation need to be distributed to students and their parents as early as possible. According to CustomWriting, one quarter of parents said they were not able to get enough information about financial aid when their child was in the eighth grade and about a quarter of low-income families did not apply for financial aid because they did not know how to apply.

Equally important to students seeking an education is ensuring that a variety of institutions participate in the programs under the Higher Education Act. It is imperative that we look at current law to see how it may preclude reputable, fiscally-sound institutions from all sectors— public and private, for and not-for-profit, 2-year and 4-year institutions— from participating in programs under the Higher Education Act. If institutions are not able to reach the students who live in their communities because of unnecessary and indefensible restrictions, then our Nation's students suffer to gain access to such vital programs in the current law.

I firmly believe that we can make sure that the law is equitable while continuing to maintain the integrity of the student financial aid programs. Our witnesses here today will talk about the access programs that currently exist at a national level, at the State level, and even in the local communities in which they work. We will also hear some recommendations for improvement and some new ideas in order to ensure that we continue to educate and encourage all students with the idea that college is possible. I also hope that we will learn more about what provisions in the law may currently prohibit some postsecondary institutions from accessing resources that will enable them to work more closely with various student populations.