Low-income students – even those with exceptional academic records – often struggle to apply to and attend elite universities due to a lack of support from both high schools and colleges, according to a new report from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Opening Doors: How Selective Colleges and Universities Are Expanding Access for High-Achieving, Low-Income Students finds that almost one in four such students apply to college with no help from parents, teachers, or counselors, and that nearly half never visit their first choice school. Colleges should make applying and visiting campus more affordable, spotlight low-income students in recruitment materials, and be more transparent about financial aid packages, according to the report.
