College Savings Accounts, Even Small Ones, Critical to Low-Income Kids Making It to (and Through) Graduation

“Some 18 million students were enrolled in college this past semester, and although college attendance numbers have been slipping over the past five years, the increase that is likely to come in the next decade will be from students of color who live in low-income households where they are often the first in their family to pursue their education past high school. For this growing group of undergraduates, getting into college isn’t the hard part — paying for it is. Average annual tuition at four-year public colleges is now $9,410 for in-state students and $22,890 for out-of-state students, while the average at four-year private colleges is $32,410 a year.”