Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø among top schools helping low-income students get ahead

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø is a good investment for low-income students, according to The Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍøs Where Low-Income Students Get the Highest ROI, a new report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. 

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø placed among the top 7% of 3,380 schools in the country for providing a high return on a college investment (ROI) to Pell Grant-eligible students.

The study took into account a school¡¯s percentage of Pell Grant students, as well as the graduation rates and percentile rank of long-term earnings of these students. According to the study, 24% of students at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø are Pell Grant recipients ¡ª with a graduation rate of 71%. This compares with a 54.6% national graduation rate for Pell Grant students in four-year private, nonprofit colleges.

Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s strong showing in part reflects an emphasis on student-specific advising and services support programs and an intentional increase in need-based financial aid, administrators say. 

¡°The times where I see Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø at its absolute best is when we¡¯re working with a student ¡­ sometimes even working with a student and their family, and remind the student that the end goal is we want you to have a degree,¡± said Dr. Kristin Douglas, associate dean of student success and persistence. ¡°We know how life-altering that degree is going to be. So here¡¯s a plan for how we can support you as you earn that degree.

¡°Just to see how much that means to a student, knowing that someone is willing to go out of their way for them ¡­ and when we see their name on the graduation list, that is why we do what we do. I love those moments where you can tell it¡¯s the work that we have done, the programs that we have put in place that have made a difference.¡±

Individualized support services 
Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s continuing efforts to provide advising programs and support services that focus on the individual are key to successful student outcomes. ¡°It¡¯s not a one-size-fits-all kind of scenario,¡± Dr. Douglas said.

As soon as a new student arrives, they are assigned an advisor and enrolled in a course taught by that advisor. The course helps guide the student in shaping their own successful Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø experience, and the advisor gets to know the student. When challenges arise, the student is more likely to feel comfortable sharing what¡¯s going on.

¡°Then as an institution, we can step in and provide the supports and resources that will be most helpful,¡± Dr. Douglas said. ¡°This is something we have put in place over the last four, five years, and I think we have seen students benefit greatly from building that relationship with their advisor very, very early."

TRIO-SSS is a more recent addition to Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s lineup of support services. Funded by a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Education, the five-year program provides an extra level of services to income-eligible, first-generation and/or students with disabilities.

¡°We see the TRIO-SSS program as another way we can help improve the upward mobility of students,¡± said President Steve Bahls. ¡°We are committed to helping all Augie students and providing pathways toward high-demand careers.¡±

Increased financial aid
In the past five years, Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø has increased its need-based financial aid by 15%, which is higher than peer schools, according to John Cage, Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s director of financial aid.

¡°Institutional financial aid is decreasing at most schools,¡± said Cage, who has worked in both the public and private sector of higher education. ¡°Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø is definitely an outlier in the investment that we¡¯ve made in our students, in particular our need-based students.¡±

Cage said he believes ¡°the greatest way to effect generational change is by achieving a college education. One of Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s core values is offering an affordable education to all students. The increase in need-based financial aid in the past five years is just one way that we reflect that value.¡±

The Georgetown University report signals a trend in college rankings to recognize the importance of social mobility in assessing colleges and universities. U.S. News & World Report recently added a measure for social mobility.