Making college more affordable: The importance of pre-collegiate preparation

By 2020, nearly two-thirds of jobs will require postsecondary education. Yet, fewer than 45 percent of adult Americans currently have earned an associate degree or higher, as reported in national data.

The cost of higher education and its impact on access and opportunity is a major barrier to more students earning degrees. Talent and ability are not relegated to those of higher means. Our present challenge is to assure education and opportunity for students from all backgrounds. Sadly, we as a nation have been comfortable with very good schools for the haves and less than good ones for the have-nots. 

On the federal level, Pell awards should be increased and eligibility expanded for students with the greatest need. Pell awards should also be allowed to continue to apply during the summer terms so that students persist and graduate on time.

On average, an American student takes 5.1 years to earn the bachelor’s degree. Time to degree completion has increased over the past decades due to a number of factors, such as the need to work and inadequate pre-collegiate schooling. Each extra year increases the cost of the bachelor’s degree by 25 percent. The time it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree could be reduced if students didn’t have to take courses to acquire math and language skills that are normally mastered in high school.

Bold steps are needed. These include building an equitable K-12 educational pipeline that provides better college readiness for all of America’s students. Quality K-12 requires great teachers who remain in the profession and teach in schools with the greatest need. The teaching profession must be elevated and the nation’s best students should be encouraged to become teachers. For their service, school loans should be forgiven or repaid. Colleges and universities should also create postsecondary certificates and credentials meeting the needs of students entering careers that do not require college degrees.

The HBCU where I serve as president, Xavier University of Louisiana, has been leading the nation in educating African-Americans who go on to achieve medical degrees. The school also excels in preparing students who achieve Ph.D.s in the STEM fields. A 2017 study has ranked the university 6th in the nation for social mobility, whereby students from the lower 40 percent of the U.S. income distribution enter the upper 40 percent. Our success and the success of other HBCUs should dispel any notion that talent is associated with socioeconomic status.

The education of our citizens is not only an individual but a collective benefit: America thrives if it develops all of its talent.