Only 91 of the nation's four-year colleges and universities effectively serve low-income students by both enrolling and graduating them at high rates, according to a new study that reveals dramatic regional disparities in higher education access.
Dr. Becca Spindel Bassett
"Access to Equity Engines is uneven and unjust," said study author Dr. Becca Spindel Bassett, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas who coined the term. "This is a systemic failure, and one that states and the federal government have a responsibility to help fix."
The disparities are most pronounced in the South, where states with high youth poverty rates lack colleges meeting the study's criteria. Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and West Virginia all have youth poverty rates exceeding 16.7 percent but no in-state Equity Engines.
To qualify as an Equity Engine, colleges must serve at least 1,000 full-time undergraduates, enroll at least 34 percent students eligible for federal Pell Grants, and graduate at least 55 percent of those low-income students within six years — a rate that would halve the national socioeconomic graduation gap.
"Most students attend college close to home, and low-income students are especially place-bound," Bassett said. "In many parts of the country, students growing up in poverty lack access to four-year colleges that will both admit them and support them to graduation."
The study reveals striking state-by-state variations. California leads with 21 Equity Engines, including 14 within the California State University and University of California systems. Despite having a 15.4 percent youth poverty rate, California enrolls 43.5 percent of its Pell Grant recipients in these high-performing institutions.
