A new study exposes the uneven distribution of colleges that effectively serve low-income students in the United States, with many states having no institutions that meet the criteria.
A new study published in AERA Open has shed light on an alarming trend: the uneven distribution of four-year colleges that successfully enroll and graduate low-income students across the United States.
Conducted by Becca Spindel Bassett, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Arkansas, the study identifies just 91 “Equity Engines” out of 1,584 public and private nonprofit institutions — less than 6% nationwide.
Even more strikingly, 24 states have no institutions that meet these criteria.
“I was surprised and disappointed at how few Equity Engines exist and how many states and entire regions have no universities that meet the criteria,” Bassett said in a news release. “Access to Equity Engines is uneven and unjust. This is a systemic failure, and one that states and the federal government have a responsibility to help fix.”
To qualify as an Equity Engine, a college must serve at least 1,000 full-time undergraduates, with at least 34% being eligible for Pell Grants (the national median), and must graduate at least 55% of its Pell Grant recipients within six years.
This graduation rate would significantly narrow the national socioeconomic graduation gap.
The study drew on institutional data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from 2017–18 to 2021–22, combined with youth poverty data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for the same years.
The findings reveal a concerning concentration of states with both high youth poverty rates and low access to Equity Engines, primarily in the South.
In states like Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia — where more than 16.7% of youths live in poverty — there are no in-state four-year institutions that qualify as Equity Engines.
“Most students attend college close to home, and low-income students are especially place-bound,” Bassett added. “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. These students are less likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than low-income students living elsewhere.”
Yet, some states stand out for their relatively strong access to Equity Engines, often driven by large public universities.
In California, for example, 15.4% of youths live in poverty, but 43.5% of Pell-eligible college students are enrolled in one of the state’s 21 Equity Engines, including institutions in the California State University and University of California systems.
On the other hand, in Louisiana, where 23.3% of youths live in poverty, only 2.7% of all Pell students attend an Equity Engine.
To address these disparities, Bassett advocates for states and foundations to invest in “Emerging Equity Engines” — institutions that enroll a substantial share of Pell students and are close to meeting the graduation benchmark. This strategic investment could help in raising bachelor’s degree attainment among low-income students.
“We all benefit when the advantages of higher education are distributed broadly and equitably,” added Bassett. “There is much to learn from colleges that not only open their doors widely to low-income students but also excel in supporting their success. These institutions are the true rockstars of our higher education system.”