{"id":28896,"date":"2025-08-29T20:06:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T20:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=28896"},"modified":"2025-08-29T20:06:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T20:06:39","slug":"unequal-access-to-four-year-colleges-for-low-income-students-revealed-in-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/unequal-access-to-four-year-colleges-for-low-income-students-revealed-in-new-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Unequal Access to Four-Year Colleges for Low-Income Students Revealed in New Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">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.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A new study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aera.net\/Newsroom\/Where-There-Is-No-Equity-Engine-Unequal-Geographies-of-College-Success-For-Low-Income-Students\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conducted by Becca Spindel Bassett, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Arkansas, the study identifies just 91 &#8220;Equity Engines&#8221; out of 1,584 public and private nonprofit institutions \u2014 less than 6% nationwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even more strikingly, 24 states have no institutions that meet these criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was surprised and disappointed at how few Equity Engines exist and how many states and entire regions have no universities that meet the criteria,\u201d Bassett said in a news release. \u201cAccess 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This graduation rate would significantly narrow the national socioeconomic graduation gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study drew on institutional data from the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from 2017\u201318 to 2021\u201322, combined with youth poverty data from the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s American Community Survey for the same years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings reveal a concerning concentration of states with both high youth poverty rates and low access to Equity Engines, primarily in the South. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In states like Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia \u2014 where more than 16.7% of youths live in poverty \u2014 there are no in-state four-year institutions that qualify as Equity Engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMost students attend college close to home, and low-income students are especially place-bound,\u201d Bassett added. \u201cIn 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\u2019s degree than low-income students living elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, some states stand out for their relatively strong access to Equity Engines, often driven by large public universities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s 21 Equity Engines, including institutions in the California State University and University of California systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To address these disparities, Bassett advocates for states and foundations to invest in \u201cEmerging Equity Engines\u201d \u2014 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\u2019s degree attainment among low-income students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe all benefit when the advantages of higher education are distributed broadly and equitably,\u201d added Bassett. \u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:18px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aera.net\/Newsroom\/Access-to-Four-Year-Colleges-that-Effectively-Serve-Low-Income-Students-Is-Uneven-Across-US-New-Study-Finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">American Educational Research Association<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 &#8220;Equity Engines&#8221; out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-28896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-university-of-arkansas"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"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 &#8220;Equity Engines&#8221; out&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28896"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28904,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28896\/revisions\/28904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}