Cal State Long Beach is one of five universities nationwide that provides a proper educational environment for low-income students, according to academic research group Education Trust.
“At Cal State Long Beach, we are focused on those measures that will ensure a better future for California and the nation,” CSULB President F. King Alexander said in a press release. “It is absolutely apparent that this progress is impossible without recognizing the needs of lower-income students and providing them with the financial and educational support necessary to support attainment of a university degree.”
In order to receive a satisfactory evaluation, chosen schools must cost less than $4,600 annually after grants for households earning less than $30,000 a year, have a 50 percent six-year graduation rate and award Pell Grants to at least 30 percent of enrolled students.
The report, entitled “Priced Out: How the Wrong Financial Aid Policies Hurt Low-Income Students,” reviewed recent federal data from more than 1,000 colleges across the nation.
In addition to CSULB, Cal State Fullerton, Bernard M. Baruch College, Queens College and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro made the list.
Though officials of some of these colleges voiced concern that their schools might not qualify in the future due to budget cuts, Alexander said he would like to keep CSULB as close to the mark as possible.
“It is imperative that lower income students are given the same educational opportunity as those with more financial means,” Alexander said. “Our nation’s future demands this support.”
The decaying economy has taken its toll on higher education, eliminating substantial funding for the school system. Tuition has risen considerably in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down, regardless of how far behind the financial aid system falls.
“While costs have soared over the last 30 years, grant aid for low-income students has not kept pace, forcing more and more of them to encumber themselves with life-altering debt,” said José Cruz, co-author of the report and vice president of the higher education program and policy at the Education Trust.
Jennifer Engle, director of higher education research at Education Trust and co-author of the report, said that although the group had set the bar high, it was surprising how few colleges met the given criteria.
“In America, access to a good education should not be determined by whether your family can afford to pay for it,” Engle said. “We certainly hope this report sparks more conversation about this issue.”
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