Emergency Aid Policy Brief Today’s students pursuing higher education face many financial challenges in addition to rising college costs. Federal need-based financial aid programs were never designed to cover coinciding education costs, let alone unexpected financial setbacks that arise during the course of a program, like car repairs or employer layoffs. Emergency aid is a…

Basic Needs Landscape Analysis In this landscape analysis, we reviewed policies and strategies throughout the U.S. designed to help meet the basic needs of today’s students, an increasing area of focus for colleges and universities and for policymakers. Time and time again, research has shown that student retention, persistence, and completion are strongly influenced by…

Introduction Postsecondary credentials are a good investment for individuals, families, and communities. Yet college tuition and fees have increased at a much faster rate than financial aid. As college costs continue to rise, along with food and housing prices caused by inflation, students still need to meet the most basic necessities of living. But meeting…

Introduction For over 50 years, the Pell Grant, a cornerstone of federal financial aid for today’s students, has supported millions in accessing higher education. In the 2021-22 academic year alone, 6.1 million students utilized the Pell Grant to take one step closer to reaching their educational and career goals. As the cost of postsecondary education…

Numbers Speak Basic needs insecurity adversely affects students’ well-being, as well as their college persistence and completion. Research shows that food and housing insecurity are contributing factors to lower graduation rates. Higher education funding alone is not enough to meet those needs. One solution is to ensure students access all available financial support, including means…

The Basic Facts on Unmet Essential Needs A recent study found that three in five college students experienced insecurity in meeting their basic needs, such as housing and food. However, many federal safety net policies designed to support Americans in need were not created with today’s postsecondary students in mind.   Research now shows today’s…

101: Single Moms in Higher Education We met Kimberly Salazar, a single mother of a 5-year-old, last year during Higher Learning Advocates’ National Student Parent Month Fireside Chat. A first-generation student at University of California, Berkeley, and 4.0 GPA sociology major, Salazar was accepted into her school’s honors program for seniors. She also represents one…

A satisfactory academic progress, or SAP, reset can make college more affordable for low-income Americans, especially the 39 million with some college and no credential (SCNC) population. Higher Learning Advocates’ analyzed how in a new higher education policy brief, Satisfactory Academic Progress: Making Financial Aid Work for Today’s Students. In the brief, we highlight how…