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Enrollment (Access and Affordability)

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Access to college for low-income and disadvantaged students, and getting into college -- with not just the implications of applying and being accepted, but also preparing academically and financially, plus making informed decisions on higher education options.

When it comes to enrollment, an area of particular interest to policymakers is whether students from low-income and other disadvantaged backgrounds have access to a college education as well as to the opportunity to choose the institution that best fits their needs.

Over 20 percent of students who are enrolled in higher education institutions attend America’s private colleges and universities. These are students from diverse backgrounds who choose private colleges and universities because the institutions’ variety of missions enables them to meet students’ different educational aspirations. Through a system of federal student aid, state aid programs, and over $10 billion in institutional aid provided to students by independent colleges and universities, these students gain access to high-quality college educations.

The proportion of minority students enrolled at private colleges and universities is similar to four-year state institutions — 24 percent versus 25 percent, respectively (click here for a graph). This number has steadily grown over the past decades as independent colleges and universities aim to enroll diverse student bodies.

Sixteen percent of students at private colleges and universities are from families that earn $25,000 or less — the same rate as at four-year state schools. Indeed, enrollment patterns by family income in most categories are identical or similar (click here for a graph).

Students who are first in their families to attend college as well as Pell Grant recipients – some of the nation’s neediest students -- also attend independent colleges and universities at high rates, allowing for them to begin along the path of upward socioeconomic mobility (click here for a graph).