Low-income Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) college students tend to seek academic advice from peers rather than from designated support centers on campus because of perceived barriers. Furthermore, parents of these students typically support their academic endeavors but don’t necessarily comprehend them.
These are among the findings in a new, national report by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF).
The first of its kind by the Washington, D.C.-based organization, the report is based on results of assessment surveys conducted in 2009 and 2011. Survey respondents were 1,035 winners of scholarships dating back to APIASF’S 2003 inception, although college freshmen made up the majority of respondents. Students were either eligible for Pell grants or came from families living at or below poverty level.
“This information has the potential to impact hundreds of thousands of AAPI students enrolled in higher education across the country,” says APIASF President and Executive Director Neil Horikoshi.
Examples of the typical background of APIASF students can be found among the 2013-14 scholarship recipients. Half are the first in their family to go to college, and 69 percent come from families whose annual income is below $30,000. About six percent of the 328 recipients are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Across the board, the students come from 38 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
The APIASF report shows what underserved AAPI college students need and experience on their campuses, especially in academic and co-curricular life. The APIASF staff also surveyed scholarship recipients in four other areas: transition to college, leadership development, self-awareness and personal goals, and parent involvement and family responsibilities.
