"Undermatched" is the name education researchers have given to the surprisingly large number of students who attend post-secondary institutions which are less selective than their academic credentials would permit, or who simply fail to even apply for college when they are qualified to do so. At first, this might seem like an obviously…

This report, "Access to Attainment: An Access Agenda for 21st Century College Students," examines the challenges facing 21st century students and presents strategies for addressing these challenges through policy-and practice-based solutions at the institutional, state and national levels. Recommendations include implementing a…

The original goal of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the amendments to that act in 1972, and reauthorizations through 1998 was to increase accessibility of higher education to all. Initially these system-level efforts substantially enhanced equity, but recent enrollment trends raise the question: Is our system becoming more or less equitable? By…

One sees various efforts in developed as well as in developing economies to seek a greater participation of lower-income students in their nation's leading universities. Once lower-income students do enroll in a highly selective institution, what happens to them? How well do they do academically when compared to their more wealthy counterparts?…

At a time of sustained unemployment and sluggish job growth, students and policymakers are increasingly asking tough questions about postsecondary education and training outcomes. Do graduates find jobs? What are they paid? What will they earn in the future? Despite growing national interest in this information, good answers are not widely…

In 2008, The James Irvine Foundation launched the Concurrent Courses initiative to make dual enrollment programs--which allow high school students to take college courses and earn college credit--available to low-income youth who struggle academically or who are from populations historically underrepresented in higher education. This work advances…

In recent years, students and parents have seen tuition costs at colleges and universities rise, to the extent that many low-income families may feel a college education for their child is out of their financial reach. However, this sky-high tuition is often partially, or even largely, subsidized by various forms of financial aid. For families to…

This critical essay is based on ethnographic research that followed thirteen students (from different social classes and racial background) through the college application process during their senior year of high school (Bloom, 2007). The study's purpose was to understand the accumulation and use of social and cultural capital by critically…

Most Americans expect the nation's colleges and universities to promote the goal of social mobility to make it possible for anyone with ability and motivation to succeed. But according to Robert Haveman and Timothy Smeeding, income-related gaps both in access to and in success in higher education are large and growing. In the top-tier colleges and…

This report examines the decade of change in the U.S. system of finance for higher education, which has resulted in a set of programs and policies that are highly responsive to the demands of middle- and upper-income families for help but which are less well equipped to respond to the needs of lower-income families for assistance with their…

Hearings concerning research done for the National Commission on Student Financial Assistance are presented, along with the Commission's recommendations. The recommendations concern modifications of the current law to facilitate greater access for low- and middle-income students and to improve the quality of postsecondary education in the country.…

In order to meet the need for more educated workers in the state, the Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the Economy (CHEE) has set an ambitious goal of increasing college and university enrollment in Ohio by 30 percent or 180,000 students over the next decade (CHEE, 2004). This goal can arguably only be met if the state takes measures…

Current federal student financial assistance programs are described, and their impact on access to and choice of postsecondary education are assessed. In addition, recommendations and policy options for promoting educational opportunity are offered. Findings of the following eight studies are analyzed: (1) changes in college attendance and student…