Frequently Asked Questions About Higher Education Access

1. Is access to higher education a problem for women and racial minorities?
2. If women make up the majority of entering college students, how is access an issue?
3. What effect does this lack of access have on society?
4. Why is the lack of access a concern for state policy makers?
5. What are the benefits of a postsecondary education?
6. FAQ Sources
7. Facts & Statistics Sources

1. Is access to higher education a problem for women and racial minorities?

   Yes. Access can be defined in a variety of ways, including access, affordability, or support. Currently, minority students enter college at a lower rate than caucasian students, and are more likely not to complete their degree. Only 40 percent of African Americans and 34 percent of Hispanics attended college from 1991 to 2001, compared with 45 percent of caucasians (1). Furthermore, only 41 percent of African American students graduate college within six years, compared to 61 percent of caucasian students (2). By their late 20's, more than one-third of whites will have at least a bachelor's degree, but only 18 percent of African Americans and 10 percent of Hispanics have attained this degree (3).

   Women also encounter obstacles in their access to higher education. Women have made up the majority of entering college students since the late 1970's, but continue to encounter problems of support, affordability and gender segregation in the classroom. For example, nearly 75 percent of tomorrow's jobs will require the use of computers, yet fewer than one-third of participants in computer courses and related activities are women (5).

   Both minorities and women encountered issues of affordability of higher education, as the cost of college increased from 42 percent of real family income in the early 1970's to over 60 percent in the new millennium (4). Students are borrowing more to cover the cost of attendance; in fact, half of all entering students need financial aid to cover costs (6). Not only are students increasing debt, but more than 20 percent of all borrowers drop out (6). Disparities also exist between socioeconomic classes. The college participation rate of students from families earning below $25,000 per year continues to lag 32 percentage points behind those from families earning above $75,000 (4).

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2. If women make up the majority of entering college students, how is access an issue?

   Women have made up the majority of entering college students for approximately the last 30 years. However, women encounter many obstacles in their access to higher education. Gender disparities exist in many fields, with women receiving a small number of math and science degrees. These disparities can lead to differences in earning potential over the years, as math and science fields usually offer higher pay. In fact, in 1997-98, women received only 39 percent of physical science, 27 percent of computer and information science, and 18 percent of engineering degrees (7). Furthermore, in 1996, women made up less than 1 percent of auto mechanics, carpenters, plumbers, and only 1.1 percent of electricians, and 3.5 percent of welders (8).

   Furthermore, women encounter other barriers in the areas of athletics, sexual harassment on campus, standardized testing, lack of knowledge of technology, and the maltreatment of pregnant and parenting students. Disparities may also exist in the distribution of financial aid, as most packages do not include allowance for dependent care, and women are twice as likely to have dependents and three times as likely to be single parents than their male counterparts (7). This places constraints not only on time, but the ability to simultaneously afford higher education and family expenses.

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3. What effect does this lack of access have on society?

   Access to higher education should be a right, not a privilege in the United States. We rely on an educated workforce to compete in a competitive global market. The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance states that significantly narrowing the gap in the college participation rate between low and high income students would add $250 billion in gross domestic product and $85 billion in tax revenue (4). Furthermore, the typical college graduate working full-time, year-round paid over 100 percent more in federal income taxes and about 82 percent more in total federal, state, and local taxes than the typical high school graduate (10).

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4. Why is the lack of access a concern for state policy makers?

   Lack of access is a concern for state policy makers for many reasons, one of them fiscal. State and local governments provide about $66 billion annually for higher education, which is a 26 percent increase (constant dollars) since 1992 (9). This is especially relevant to legislators who sit on education committees within their state.

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5. What are the benefits of a postsecondary education?

   One major benefit is an increase in earning potential. The incomes of individuals with some form of higher education are higher than those without education beyond high school. Compounded over a lifetime, differences in education level translate to an average lifetime earning of $1.2 million for a high school graduate, $1.5 million for those with some college education but no degree, and $2.1 million for bachelor's degree holders (9).

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FAQs Sources

1. American Council on Education. "Annual Status Report on Minorities 2003-2004." 2005.
2. NCAA Division I Graduation Rates Report. 2002.
3. Pathways to College Network. "A Shared Agenda." 2004.
4. Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. "Access Denied: Restoring the Nation's Commitment to Equal Education Opportunity." 2001.
5. National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. "Trends in Education Equity of Girls and Women." 2000.
6. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. "Borrowers Who Drop Out." 2005.
7. National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education. "Title IX at 30: Report Card on Gender Equity." June 2002.
8. Institute for Women in Trades, Technology, and Science. "School-to-Work and Nontraditional Employment Fact Sheet."
9. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. "Measuring Up 2002: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education." 2002.
10. College Board. "Education Pays Update." 2005.
      
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Facts & Statistics Sources

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The Outlook for College Graduates." Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Fall 2000.
2. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2002: The State-by-State Report Card on Higher Education, 2002.
3. American Council on Education, Minorities in Higher Education Twenty-first Annual Status Report, 2004.
4. US Department of Education, Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women, 2004.
5. Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Access Denied: Restoring the Nation's Commitment to Equal Education Opportunity, Washington DC: 2001.
     
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