Author(s): The U.S. Department of Education
Published: March 24, 2016
Report Intro/Brief:
“The report shines a light on institutions across the country that have a strong record of success when it comes to ensuring that low-income students are not just attending college, but are completing their degrees. The report highlights schools that excel in providing Pell-eligible students with access to college, as well as schools with strong performance on measures of college success for students eligible for Pell Grants and recognizes the important role many community colleges play in serving more than 40 percent of our nation’s undergraduates.
The report is also a call to action for institutions with significant gaps between completion rates for Pell recipients and overall completion rates, as well as institutions that, despite positive outcomes, have not succeeded in enrolling a significant proportion of low-income students.
The report highlights the fact that many similarly situated colleges and universities have divergent outcomes on key measures of college success and access. A key takeaway from this report is that the actions of colleges and universities matter and that institutions of higher education can do more to help Pell students on their campus reach their educational goals and career aspirations, even in an era where the demands on colleges are great and the resources are limited.”
