College Access for the Working Poor: Overcoming Burdens to Succeed in Higher Education

Abstract

Expanding access to higher education is critical to improving the lives of the working poor, as jobs in today’s economy increasingly require some higher education. The nation also needs higher educational achievement levels from this substantial sector of the population—about 14 percent of individuals ages 24–64—in order to meet the growing demands for a more highly skilled workforce. Today, however, the working poor face obstacles that continue to derail their efforts to attend, pay for, and complete college. As detailed in this report, working poor adults enroll in college at lower rates and are less likely to complete college. Even when accounting for financial aid, they struggle to meet the rising prices of higher education.