Low-income adults: key findings
Low-income adult students face many challenges when they seek higher education. As part of a three-year project, the American Council on Education (ACE) has studied this issue and released a report about the status of these students and some of the barriers they face.
Some of the key findings of the report,
Low-Income Adults in Profile: Improving Lives Through Higher Education, include:
- 54 percent of low-income adult students are single parents, compared to
21 percent of middle- to upper-income adult students.
- 57 percent of low-income adult students work full time, compared to
33 percent of traditional students.
- 64 percent of low-income adult students support dependent children, compared to 8 percent of traditional students.
- 45 percent of low-income adult students are enrolled half time or less.
- 53 percent of low-income adult students attend community colleges.
- In 1995-1996, 47 percent of low-income adult students aspired to earn a bachelor’s degree, and by 2001, 7 percent had succeeded. During the same time, 20 percent of low-income adults said they desired an associate’s degree, and by 2001, 8 percent had reached their goal.
- 40 percent of adult students, about 2.5 million, made less than $25,000 in 1999-2000.
The report defined a low-income adult student as one who has an income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and who lacks even one parent who earned a bachelor’s degree.
ACE and Lumina Foundation for Education are partners in this project. The goal is to develop a compelling case that will move university and college administrators and policy-makers to develop programs and implement changes to help low-income adults succeed. The project will provide fresh survey research, document best practices and develop policy recommendations.
