How Universal College Admission Tests Help Low-Income Students
“A child born into a high-income family is six times as likely to earn a college degree as one who is poor, research that I have participated in shows. This gap is largely rooted in disparities in achievement that appear as early as preschool. But even for students who perform well in high school, parents’ income strongly predicts whether they will attend and complete college. Research points to nonacademic hurdles on the road to college: filling out financial aid forms, writing admissions essays, obtaining letters of recommendation, registering for entrance exams. There are dozens of details to remember, deadlines to meet, forms to complete and fees to pay.”