"We can delay in building that new building, but we can't say to the entire sophomore class: Why don't you take a year off?"That year off may be forced on more students than higher education officials expected, according to a number of recent studies.
From the annual conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education came three reports which examined the effect of two major need-based scholarships. These reports concluded that generous grants not only increase access, but also increase retention, especially among low-income recipients.
Unfortunately, that level of aid is all too often absent, a study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling determines. This report details that although many institutions claim to be need-blind, their aid only covers a small portion of costs -- resulting in a "gapping" effect that can leave many students behind. One of the reasons: colleges and universities are spending less on need-based aid than in the past.
Which brings us to a recent study from the Institute for Higher Education Policy. This study finds that the increasing costs of university and the dwindling availability of aid are preventing access to qualified students. More than 80 percent of non-college goers -- who had earned at least a 2.5 high school GPA, taken a college-preparatory curriculum, and taken some levels of advanced mathematics -- reported that the availability of financial aid was either “extremely” or “very” important in their decision not to enroll.
And some institutions are responding. Not only is Barnard College going to "delay building that new building", but they are also going to concentrate their efforts on increasing aid. This initiative of shifting donor contributions to student aid has been adopted by numerous universities, with some community colleges even waiving tuition for their local unemployed.
Let's hope it's enough to prevent students from taking the year off -- if they can afford it in the first place.
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