How Latino Students Pay for College: Patterns of Financial Aid in 2003-2004
Although the percentage of Latino students receiving financial aid for college is at an all-time high, Latinos receive the lowest average federal aid awards of any racial or ethnic group, according to a new report released August 10, 2005, by Excelencia in Education and the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Reports and Materials
News Release (English): Latino Students Lag Behind In Financial Aid For College, Report Reveals
According to the report, How Latino Students Pay for College, Latino students received an average financial aid award of $6,250 in 2003-04. Asian students received the highest average award of $7,260, and the national average award was $6,890. The study, the first of its kind to disaggregate participation rates for Latino students in financial aid programs, found that while Latino participation has increased in the last decade, the disparity in average amounts received has remained unchanged since 1995-96.
Fact Sheet (Bilingual): How Latinos Pay for College, Patterns of Financial Aid (2003-04)
Latino undergraduates actively applied for financial aid and many received aid to pay for college in 2003-04. Almost 80 percent of Latino ndergraduates applied for financial aid and 63 percent of Latinos who applied for aid received some form of aid to pay for college.
Full Report (English): How Latino Students Pay for College, Patterns of Financial Aid in 2003–04
The financial aid needs of today’s college students are a topic of frequent dialogue and debate. From congressional deliberations over the Higher Education Act reauthorization, to individual family planning to pay for the rising costs of college, student aid is a top priority at many levels. Despite this high level of interest, very little information has ever been published on one of the nation’s most important groups: the rapidly growing Latino population.
Informe (Español): Cómo Sufragan Los Latinos sus Estudios Universitarios, Patrones de Asistencia Económica en 2003-2004
Las actuales necesidades y ayudas económicas de los estudiantes universitarios son objeto de discusión frecuente. La asistencia económica requerida para estudiar en la universidad es tema prioritario en múltiples esferas: desde las deliberaciones en el Congreso de los Estados Unidos sobre la reautorización de la legislación que financia y reglamenta la educación superior a nivel federal (“Higher Education Act”), hasta las conversaciones en el seno de cada familia que tiene que afrontar los costos crecientes de los estudios universitarios. Aunque el tema es de interés para mucha gente, hasta ahora se ha publicado escasa información sobre uno de los sectores de creciente importancia en el país: la población hispana, la cual ha ido aumentando aceleradamente.
Support
We deeply appreciate the generous support of Henry Fernandez, Executive Director of Scholarships, Outreach, and Philanthropy and his staff at USA Funds. USA Funds® is a nonprofi t corporation that works to enhance post secondary education preparedness, access and success by providing and supporting financial and other valued services. USA Funds annually guarantees education loans totaling $16.5 billion for students and parents throughout the nation and serves as the designated guarantor of federal education loans for eight states: Arizona, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information please visit www.usafunds.org.
USA Funds-Sponsored Study Finds Latinos Receive Less Financial Aid (from USA Funds Website)
A new report underwritten by USA Funds ® shows that Latino students receive less financial aid for college than any other racial or ethnic group, despite the critical role that this aid plays in Latino students' ability to pay for higher education. Read the article on the USA Funds Website.
