Enrollment in higher education has increased over recent years with more students entering college underprepared for the academic rigor. Through expanded access, more minoritized students who are Pell eligible are enrolling. To retain these and other students, higher education institutions are implementing high impact practices to provide…

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global event that disrupted higher education learning environments in unique ways. This study explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate students' academic progress in higher education at Saint Louis University. The outcomes of interest were four-year cumulative grade point average…

Some assert that first-year college programs can foster increased engagement among college students and lead to successful outcomes, but there is a lack of in-depth analysis of students' perceptions of their experiences in such programs. This qualitative study explores a small sample of young, Pell Grant-eligible Latino male students' perceptions…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how first-generation Latino and African American Pell grant recipients, who attended a large urban community college located in New York City, described their understanding of and experiences with satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy and its influence on academic persistence…

This qualitative study examines how 30 low-income students' sense of belonging is affected by financial constraints. Guided by Strayhorn's (2012) sense of belonging concept, 30 low-income participants discussed how their financial positioning shaped their belongingness experiences. Findings illustrated participants' financial position shaped sense…

Supporting bachelor's degree completion for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds has been a focus for a number of selective four-year colleges and universities. Bachelor's degree completion rates for recipients of federal Pell Grant funds have been reported by the National Center for Education Statistics for a decade. Statistical data…

College students at 14 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in New Mexico and Texas were surveyed about their experiences in and perceptions of higher education. Three primary foci were students' employment status, work commitments, and means of financing college. Most of the informants reported working while in college and, similar to previously…

Low-income Pell Grant recipients represent a small percentage of undergraduate students at America's elite colleges and universities. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to understand the lived experiences of low-income Pell Grant students who attended a most competitive college. I used Tinto and Pusser's (2006) institutional…

This Summary highlights the findings from the First Look full report. The findings in this report provide the first national estimates of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on postsecondary students. Researchers have previously collected and reported data at institution, state, and international levels (Aristovnik et al. 2020; Aucejo et al. 2020;…

This First Look report presents basic findings about undergraduate student experiences during COVID-19 in spring 2020. These findings are based on preliminary data from the 2019-20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20), a national survey of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled any time between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020,…

This report shares the perspectives and aspirations of 17 low-income and working-class students based on interviews the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) conducted over two semesters of their college journeys. The report identifies opportunities for policymakers and institutional leaders to support all students through completion,…