The Hidden Financial Aid Hurdle Derailing College Students
At 19, Elizabeth Clews knew attending community college while balancing a full-time job and caring for a newborn would be hard. But she wanted to give it a shot. After a few months, the single mom, who had just exited the foster care system, realized she wasn’t doing well enough to pass her classes at…
Read MoreBrief: SAP Requirements Create Barriers to Underserved Students
SAP Requirements Create Barriers to Underserved Students “The brief examines how current SAP policies can be confusing for many students, such as those who are new to college and arrive academically underprepared, do not receive proper advising, or face unexpected life challenges. Institutions can create their own SAP requirements, but at minimum students must maintain…
Read MoreWashington state’s new financial aid program serves today’s students those who hire them
Last March, the Seattle Times ran a powerful joint opinion editorial cowritten by Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, Brad Smith. Joining him were University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and then-Vice Chairman of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Wayne Martin. Their position: Let’s lift up Washington families and businesses…
Read MoreYoung Invincibles: Advocating for Today’s Students
As 2019 comes toward a close, we at Young Invincibles are taking stock of the many efforts we undertook this year to advocate on behalf of young adults. We have done so to advance our mission of empowering young adults aged 18-34 to fully engage in our democracy and achieve economic security. We have maintained…
Read MoreUsing a Latino Lens to Reimagine Financial Aid
Financial aid has not kept pace to serve today’s students. Historically, the majority of financial aid recipients had a similar profile. Today, financial aid recipients are significantly more diverse. The profile of today’s college students continues to evolve, and at Excelencia in Education, we are focused on a significant part of this evolving student profile—Latinos.…
Read MoreReforming Federal Work Study to Support Today’s Students
Legislative action around the Higher Education Act is heating up. Senator Alexander has dropped a pared down version of HEA and the House just introduced their HEA reauthorization bill. As Congress considers reauthorization of the law that governs all student aid programs, they should consider reforming Federal Work Study (FWS), a program failing to live…
Read MoreStudent Voice: The Pell Grant Gave Me a Second Chance
I was sitting on the edge of my cot surrounded by thick concrete and rusted paint-chipped bars that kept me caged in like an exotic pet. My cell was the size of a parking spot. If I stretched out my limbs, each would extend to the corners of my confined living quarters. I could barely…
Read MoreFrom the State House to the Beltway: Truth Talk about State Financial Aid
The federal role in financial aid policy tends to dominate the conversation around reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). However, rethinking financial aid cannot occur without the participation of one of the primary providers of student financial aid: states. Despite the major role that states can play in the financial aid system, they can…
Read MoreStudents Need New Models for Higher Education—and Aid Policies to Match
Three out of four college students today have at least one “non-traditional” characteristic. They didn’t enroll in college immediately after high school. They’re working adults and aren’t living with mom and dad. In fact, a quarter are parents themselves. Yet our higher education systems are built for an 18-year-old attending full-time. This is especially true…
Read MoreStudent Voice: Today’s Students Rethinking Financial Aid
Editor’s Note: Mysia Perry is a LEDA Career Fellow and an Oldham Scholar in her junior year at the University of Richmond majoring in American Studies and minoring in Sociology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Insights & Outlooks (IO): Tell us about your pathway to college. Have you encountered any financial challenges along the…
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