New Report: Early Guarantee of Federal Financial Aid

Posted by Center for American Progress on May 18, 2015

College for All: Improving College Access and Degree Attainment Through an Early Guarantee of Federal Financial Aid

In 2015, approximately 3.3 million students are expected to graduate from high schools throughout the United States. Many of them will pursue postsecondary education immediately after receiving their diploma but not nearly enough will complete their degree. Furthermore, high school graduates who do not enroll in a college or a postsecondary education program are more likely to come from lower-income families.

While previous generations of Americans were considered to be among the world’s most educated, gains in postsecondary attainment in competitor countries have outpaced attainment among young people in the United States. U.S. adults between the ages of 55 and 64 are the third-most educated among the 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, countries—nations that are in competition with the United States. In contrast, U.S. young adults currently rank 10th on OECD’s most-educated list. As the Baby Boomer generation retires from the workforce, these lower levels of postsecondary attainment among the current generation of Americans will become increasingly apparent in global economic performance.

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/higher-education/report/2015/05/06/112518/improving-college-access-and-degree-attainment-through-an-early-guarantee-of-federal-financial-aid/