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Higher education improves an individual's quality of life and provides the nation long-term economic gains, better health and increased civic participation. However, many students face difficulties in pursuing higher education. Lumina Foundation has surveyed the existing research to assess these difficulties. What We Know about Access and Success in Postsecondary Education documents the existing inequity across four dimensions of postsecondary access and success — preparation, awareness, financial issues and institutional responsibility.

What We Know about Access and Success in Postsecondary Education

Unequal opportunity continues to affect access and success in postsecondary education. In turn, limited educational access translates into limited life opportunities for millions of Americans.

Large and growing gaps in postsecondary educational access and success of students, based on their socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, undermine the goal of equity delineated in the Higher Education Act of 1965. These gaps indicate that thousands of capable and motivated students face formidable roadblocks to a college education. The primary obstacles to access and success are unmet financial need, inadequate academic preparation, and insufficient information, guidance and encouragement. Students who overcome these barriers and enroll in college often face additional obstacles because college and university policies do not prioritize students' needs. Frequently, these financial, academic, informational and institutional obstacles penalize low-income students, including students of color, first-generation students and working adults.

Increased diversity in future college-age students will underscore the postsecondary access and attainment challenges facing the nation. Demographic trends show that most of the increase in the traditional college-age population will be students of color and students from low-income homes. Many also will be first-generation — that is, the first in their families to attend college. Economic changes also will increase the number of adult workers returning to postsecondary institutions for retraining, new skills and new opportunities. All of these students — low-income, first-generation, racial and ethnic minorities and working adults — will be needed in the workforce as the baby boom generation approaches retirement age.

Lumina Foundation for Education views postsecondary access and success through four dimensions: preparation, awareness, financial issues and institutional responsibility.

Preparation refers to individual motivation and skills, as well as curriculum, teacher quality, and the extent and availability of middle and secondary school resources. In part, the gap in college attendance rates by race and socioeconomic status is caused by similar gaps in the rates of students who participate in college-prep curriculum, graduate from high school, take the SAT or ACT, and apply to postsecondary institutions. Too often, lower involvement in college preparatory activities is directly related to local communities' economic wealth and how primary and secondary schools serve students of color.

Awareness refers to information about academic requirements, college prices, the application process, financial aid resources, fields of study, and the availability of academic and social support services. Many families — especially lower income families and those with parents who did not attend college — misperceive postsecondary education costs; moreover, students and their families are unsure about application requirements and financial aid options. The unfortunate reality is that low-income students and students of color do not have adequate access to relevant and timely information about preparing, enrolling and succeeding in college. To ensure that students and their families make informed choices about postsecondary education, we must close these gaps in awareness.

Financial issues refer to the shared responsibility of governments, postsecondary institutions, students and their families, philanthropies, and businesses to pay for college. This responsibility is shared because of the social and individual benefits society gains with increased levels of educational attainment. A fundamental barrier to increased college access and success is financial aid. Specifically, the barrier is the inability of federal, state and institutional financial aid programs to make up the difference between family finances and college prices. During the last two decades, the sticker prices of postsecondary institutions have soared, while the purchasing power of need-based grant aid has declined. Although financial aid dollars have increased, in many cases, these dollars have not kept pace with escalating prices and demands. Many state and institutional grant dollars have shifted to merit aid from need-based aid. In addition, loans have replaced grants as the primary method to pay for college. Because of these changes, students — particularly low-income students — find it increasingly difficult to afford a college education.

Institutional responsibility refers to the academic and social services, developmental education programs and campus climate that postsecondary institutions offer to meet their students' needs. More than any other entity, higher education institutions directly influence access and success. Ultimately, postsecondary institutions must develop programs and services to ensure equitable opportunity for their students. These services and programs require administrative policies and resources geared toward access, retention and attainment for an increasingly diverse student body.

The opportunity to enroll in a postsecondary institution and the ability to complete educational objectives (e.g., occupational training, certificate or degree attainment) should define postsecondary access and success. Only a concerted effort by federal and state policy-makers, educational providers and other interested stakeholders can lead to equity and excellence in postsecondary education. By improving students' awareness and academic preparation, changing postsecondary finance structures and enhancing institutional responsibility, the nation can extend this vital opportunity to a larger, more diverse population.

The following research-based evidence represents the knowledge base for Lumina Foundation's strategic direction and shows the inequity across the four dimensions of postsecondary access and success: preparation, awareness, financial issues and institutional responsibility. This evidence informs our program and research agenda to change the patterns of postsecondary access and success. The changes will flow through students and families, postsecondary institutions and public policy.

Research-based Evidence Related to the Four Dimensions of Access and Success

Beyond the four dimensions that bear directly on student access and success, other factors affect each of these dimensions. These factors include, but are not limited to, economic development issues (e.g., the availability of jobs requiring a postsecondary degree or certificate) and competing demands (e.g., parenting, employment, health and well-being). In addition to America's schools and colleges, which are accountable for their students, other social sectors — family and community, government and private organizations — can play a role in supporting policies and practices that expand college access and success.

Dimension 1 — Preparation

Axiom 1 — An effective K-12 educational system should provide core curriculum and the academic and social skills necessary for admission to postsecondary education.

1. High school graduation rates vary by student background characteristics (race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status). 1


2. Investment in K-12 education varies among states, and among districts within states, according to relative wealth (e.g., property values) in those states and districts. 2


3. Public education is increasingly segregated by race, ethnicity and income; this segregation is not preparing high school students for the diversity they will face in postsecondary education and the workforce. 3


4. Secondary school curriculum and high school graduation requirements are not well aligned with college admission requirements. 4


5. A rigorous high school curriculum is highly predictive of college enrollment and success; yet, participation in college-preparatory curriculum varies by student background characteristics. 5


6. Supplemental college preparatory programs enable some students to overcome the inequities of K-12 education and enroll and succeed in college. 6


7. Standardized achievement test scores (e.g., SAT, NAEP) vary by student background characteristics and by school characteristics. 7


8. Completion of college application requirements, including taking college entrance exams and applying for admission and financial aid, varies by student background characteristics. 8


9. College attendance rates vary by student background characteristics and by school characteristics. 9


10. Significant numbers of students enter postsecondary education needing academic remediation in reading, writing and math, and these students disproportionately attend community colleges. 10

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Dimension 2 — Awareness

Axiom 2 — To make sound decisions, an informed public must understand college prices, the availability and extent of financial aid, and the range of accessible postsecondary institutions.

11. Students and parents lack reliable information about college, including price; this lack of accurate knowledge is strongly related to social and economic background. 11


12. College aspirations vary by student background characteristics and location of residence, but aspirations are seldom the primary reason students do not enroll in college. 12

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Dimension 3 — Financial Issues

Axiom 3 — Governments (federal, state and local), philanthropies, businesses, postsecondary institutions, and participating students and families share responsibility for college costs.

13. The share of college costs paid by students and families is increasing, while the share paid by governments is declining. 13


14. Students are increasingly working during college, which can reduce full-time enrollment and, if in excess of 15 hours weekly, can undermine student success. 14


15. Rising tuitions lead to lower enrollments overall or different college choices, especially for low-income students and students of color. 15


16. College affordability varies among states and among different types of students. 16


17. Community colleges are the most affordable institutions for all students. 17

Axiom 4 — Federal, state and institutional financial aid programs and policies are necessary to close the gap between family finances and college prices.

18. College prices continue to rise much faster than financial aid and family incomes, increasing the gap between family finances and college prices, especially for low-income students. 18


19. Need-based grants are the most powerful financial aid tool that governments and private organizations can use to increase college enrollment, especially for low-income students and students of color. 19


20. Merit-based financial aid and tuition tax credits disproportionately flow to students from the highest income levels. 20


21. During the last two decades, the trend in federal financial aid programs is to increasingly rely on student loans rather than student grants. 21


22. Non-need-based financial aid programs are growing at federal, state and institutional levels faster than need-based financial aid programs. 22


23. Need-based grants, educational debt levels and college tuition affect student persistence and attainment, especially for low-income and minority students. 23


24. Financial aid programs are not geared toward adult learners who have competing responsibilities associated with family and work. 24


25. Educational debt burdens are growing for college graduates, especially for low-income students; African-Americans; and those pursuing careers in social services, humanities, nursing and education. 25

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Dimension 4 — Institutional Responsibility

Axiom 5 — Colleges and universities should have administrative policies and resources (academic, social and cultural) geared toward access, retention, and attainment consistent with their mission and market niche.

26. Educational attainment rates at public and private four-year colleges and community colleges vary considerably by student background characteristics. 26


27. Community colleges serve the largest numbers of low-income students and students of color, and these students have more risk factors that impede student success. 27


28. Colleges must adapt to the unique needs of working adults by delivering curriculum in new ways, offering more weekend and evening courses, and providing family support services that facilitate adults' enrollment in degree or certificate programs. 28


29. Institutional practices in academic and student services have a strong influence on student retention and attainment. 29


30. Campus climate should be inclusive and welcoming for all students, especially first-generation students and students of color. 30


31. Developmental education can help students overcome academic underpreparedness and successfully complete degree or certificate programs. 31

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