It’s Time to Talk About College Access

One of the major challenges for colleges was explained by Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University. She said that there are students who are very bright, but haven't had the advantages of others and haven't been told they can be successful. She said some of the most successful future students were unsure whether to even consider college.

These students she referenced are falling victim to a serious crisis in our K-12 and higher education system: the disparity of college access. At College Summit, we have also seen this disparity in research: low-income students who get As on standardized tests go to college at the same rate as the top-income students who get Ds.

The article goes on to explain that a lot of people are missing “the bigger picture” and that there are “thousands of colleges in the United States, and many are open to almost anyone with a high school diploma.” But the big picture is not just something that’s being missed, it’s being ignored. Every year more than 200,000 students who have the grades to go to college, do not.

For presidential candidates, this is not just about ensuring the American education system is one in which all young people who are college ready actually make it to college. It is also about a long-term economic impact. A college graduate earns a million dollars more over his or her lifetime. The children of college graduates are nearly twice as likely to enroll in college themselves, which typically results in breaking a cycle of poverty within the family. In fact, CEO’s for Cities recently reported that “college enrollment rates are the number one driver of urban economic growth.”

But recruiting these students does not have to only fall on the shoulders of our higher education institutions. Our experience tells us that there are real solutions to increasing college access. Particularly, when school districts make college going a priority and post-secondary planning a requirement for all students, college-capable students enroll in college at rates comparable to their high-income peers. From California to West Virginia to New York City, we have seen college-going cultures created in schools and communities where college was not the expectation.

Our presidential candidates must show real initiative and leadership on this issue, or we will continue to be a nation allowing talented students to fall victim to a lack of college access as well as reap none of the economic and social benefits from an increase in college graduates.

Mora Segal is the Chief Strategy Officer at College Summit.