The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of only five U.S. colleges serving low-income students well, says the Education Trust, a research and advocacy group. The Education Trust released its report on how most colleges fail low-income students Wednesday. The report, “Priced Out: How the Wrong Financial Aid Policies Hurt Low-Income Students,” looked at cost as well as graduation rates. Of 1,186 colleges examined in the study, only five stood out for their service to low-income students, all non-flagship public universities. UNCG made the list alongside two campuses of California State University and two campuses of the City University of New York.
“UNCG has long been a first-choice university for a wide array of students, including first generationals, and those with financial challenges,” said UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady. “We are proud to offer affordable tuition rates, support programs to help first-generation college students thrive through our Student Success Center, and financial aid programs such as UNCG Guarantee, which promises an undergraduate education with as little debt as possible to academically strong students with financial need. It is very encouraging to see Educational Trust’s acknowledgment of UNCG’s dedication to making a college education a reality for all students.”
The report set three main criteria for analysis. Four-year colleges had to cost less than $4,600 per year after all grants for students with household incomes below $30,000. To make the list, colleges also had to show a six-year graduation rate of more than 50 percent with at least 30 percent of enrollments receiving federal Pell Grants.
UNCG made the final cut with a net price of $1,470 per year for students with household incomes below $30,000. UNCG’s six-year graduation rate in 2009 was 51.6 percent, the report said, and 31 percent of students received Pell Grants.
The report also noted that UNCG and the other two university systems who fared well in the study “are deeply, publicly committed to closing the access and success gaps between low-income and high-income students, and between whites and underrepresented minorities.”
“We are indeed a Community of Learners, where individuals are valued and where a fabulous undergraduate education is one of our highest priorities,” said Steve Roberson, UNCG’s dean of undergraduate studies. “To borrow a word from Terry Sanford, UNCG is ‘outrageously’ committed to the democratization of access–and success–for ALL students at this world-class university.”
Read the full Education Trust report online
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