The government spends billions to help send low-income students to college. Only half are graduating MSN.com; Oct 21, 2017, Money, Kaitlin Mulhere
It’s no secret finishing college is more difficult for low-income students. But new government data show just how hard that struggle can be.
At four-year colleges, just under half of students who received Pell Grants — federal aid awarded to millions of low income families each year — went on to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years, according to a Money analysis of Education Department data released Thursday. That’s compared with 67% of students who did not receive the grant.
Even students at top colleges struggled. At colleges that admit less than a third of applicants, graduation rates were much higher, but the overall gap was nearly as wide: Pell Grant recipients had a 71.9% graduation rate, compared with 87.9% for the rest of students.
Overall graduation rates, including both students who qualify for Pell Grants and those who do not, were 66% for private colleges and 59% at public colleges, according to the data, which tracked students who enrolled in 2010 through the end of last year.
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