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Studies Show Growing Gap in College Completion Between High- and Low-Income Students
By Catherine Groux
Posted February 14, 2012 03:41 PM
Today, many American families struggle when it comes to paying for college. According to a 2011 study by Fidelity Investments ®, the average family is on track to only cover about 16% of college tuition, a decrease from 24% in 2007.
A recent article in The New York Times shows that the path to a bachelor's degree is significantly more difficult for low-income students. Citing a study by researchers from the University of Michigan, the Times reports that the difference in college completion between wealthy and low-income students has grown by approximately 50% since the 1980s.
However,
There is a widening gap between low-income and wealthy students and college completion rates. most of the studies on college completion and family finances were done before the recession's full impact on the nation. Researchers believe that if they were done after the recession, they would show an even stronger trend in the growing divide between income and a college education.
"With income declines more severe in the lower brackets, there's a good chance the recession may have widened the gap," Sean F. Reardon, a Stanford University sociologist, told the Times.
