Community College Students and Grant Aid: Bringing Equity to the Provision of Grant Aid by States and Institutions

TR Number

Date

2011-01-20

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Demos

Abstract

In order to reverse the troubling low graduation rates at our nation’s community colleges, low-income students must stop being financially penalized for attending these institutions. As this brief outlines, low-income students who attend community college receive less state and institutional grant aid, on average, than their counterparts at four-year public universities. Community College Students and Grant Aid recommends that states equalize their need-based grant allocation and that community colleges prioritize need-based institutional aid. The brief also highlights the need to strengthen community colleges’ fundraising capabilities, for their limited financial resources limit their ability to award institutional grants.

Description

Keywords

Community college students, higher education costs, student financial aid, education, higher--United States--Costs

Citation