Three critical factors to address in order to improve gaps in college enrollment

Existing research suggests three critical factors to address in order to improve the achievement gaps in college enrollment rates:

1. High educational aspirations: In order to close the achievement gap, more students must desire to attend college. Intervention on this front must start earlier than high school. High school graduates whose parents did not attend college tend to report lower educational aspirations than their peers as early as eighth grade. Low educational aspirations affect students’ curricular choices, as well as their selection of peer groups.
2. Strong academic preparation: A clear policy lever is to make universally required high-school courses more rigorous. Low-income and ethnic minority students are least likely to enroll in a college-preparatory curriculum, so this effort should address the courses that all student must take.
3. Financial support. Many low-income students simply cannot afford to go to college without scholarship support and reduced tuition options. However, despite the significant financial aid available, college "sticker prices" remain a barrier to first-generation students. Rising college costs coupled with flat or declining family incomes have created unmet financial needs – ranging from $3200 (for students attending public two-year colleges) to $6200 (for students attending private four-year colleges).