Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)
Access to Higher Education and the College Choice of Rural Low-Income Students
Document Type
Poster
Department
Educational Leadership (Higher Education)
Publication Date
Spring 2013
Abstract
The viability of obtaining a college education is being challenged. As higher education has been touted as the means for increasing one’s economic mobility, financing a college education can be a deterrent for those from low-income backgrounds. Past research has highlighted that financial aid offered in the form of grants as having a great impact on the college enrollment patterns of students from underserved, low-income backgrounds (Leslie & Brinkman,1988); however with the financial aid shift from grants to loans, student loans are being used primarily by this group to fund their education. Unfortunately, student loan debt has soared over $1 trillion dollars (Fields, 2011). Thus, there is a rising concern on the affordability and access of higher education. This study seeks to unearth the experiences of rural, low-income students’ college choice in an effort to discover how their perceptions of financing college impacts their enrollment into higher education.
Recommended Citation
Ordu, Chinasa A., "Access to Higher Education and the College Choice of Rural Low-Income Students " (2013). Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS). 92.
https://open.clemson.edu/grads_symposium/92