A college-access advocacy group wants changes to the federal financial aid policy that penalizes part-time students who have to work to full time to support themselves.
Part-time enrollment places working-poor adults in a precarious position primarily because part-time students receive significantly less financial aid than full-time students, according to a new report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy and USA Funds.
The report revealed that 76 percent of working-poor adults are full-time employees, and despite the commitment to education among those who are attending college, many working-poor adults can only enroll in one or two classes at a time. Only 37 percent of the group in the report was enrolled in school full time.
Additionally, part-time enrollment reduces eligibility for grants and is linked with lower rates of degree attainment. Students who do not work at all typically receive more financial aid, because their expected family contribution, according to FAFSA, is more than working-poor adults, analysts reported.
“The working-poor population see themselves as students first. They want to put their full energy toward attaining a degree,” says Courtney McSwain, research analyst for the IHEP.
But as tuition rises and federal aid fails to keep up, America’s 20 million working poor do not have the financial means to attain a college education or succeed in college. Policymakers at both the state and national level need to expand educational opportunities for low-income adults and youth, a panel of researchers and adult education advocates urged during a briefing on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
According to the study, while there are critical barriers keeping the “working poor” from reaching their academic potential, there are also well-researched solutions to increase access.
