III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 791 

Designating November 2020 as ‘‘National College Application Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 3, 2020 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mr. CARPER, and Ms. 

ERNST) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating November 2020 as ‘‘National College 

Application Month’’. 

Whereas equality of opportunity for all people is one of the 

noblest aspirations of the United States; 

Whereas data on the benefits of higher education demonstrate that, in spite of ongoing barriers to access and 

student success, colleges and universities can still provide 

pathways to economic opportunity; 

Whereas the United States built a thriving middle class by 

funding colleges and universities to provide avenues to individual economic opportunity and shared economic 

growth; 

Whereas higher education enhances the economic mobility of 

individuals, which is evidenced by— 


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(1) a finding by the Brookings Institute that the 

median lifetime earnings of holders of an associate degree 

are uniformly greater than the median lifetime earnings 

of holders of solely a high school diploma; and 

(2) a finding by the Pew Economic Mobility Project 

that, for an individual born in the lowest income quintile, 

obtaining a 4-year degree or a higher degree is associated 

with— 

(A) an approximately 70 percent difference in 

the probability of that individual earning an income 

outside the lowest income quintile; and 

(B) a threefold difference in the probability of 

that individual going on to earn an income in the 

highest income quintile; 

Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that— 

(1) the unemployment rate of high school graduates 

in 2019 who did not immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following fall semester was 

18.2 percent, which is significantly higher than the overall unemployment rate of the United States; 

(2) approximately 34 percent of high school graduates in 2019 did not immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following fall semester, 

which represents a decline from the prior year in the rate 

of immediate matriculation of new high school graduates 

to an institution of higher education; 

(3) the decline described in paragraph (2) was most 

notable among African American high school graduates, 

who faced a 20 percent decline from the prior year in immediate matriculation to an institution of higher education; and 

(4) the unemployment rate of adults with a bachelor’s degree and the unemployment rate of adults whose 


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highest credential is a high school diploma differ by 20 

percentage points, a gap that has grown larger as a result of COVID–19; 

Whereas the National Student Clearinghouse reports that undergraduate enrollment in colleges and universities is declining precipitously in the midst of the COVID–19 pandemic, particularly for nontraditional students; 

Whereas the complexity of financial aid systems and rising 

college costs can serve as additional deterrents or barriers 

for students and families as they assess the viability of 

higher education programs as a postsecondary option; 

Whereas many students struggle to identify and compare 

postsecondary options due to— 

(1) difficulties accessing school counseling services, 

which is evidenced by an estimation of the American 

School Counselor Association that the student-to-counselor ratio in the United States is 430 to 1; 

(2) an absence of reliable programmatic and institutional outcome data; and 

(3) a lack of comparable and understandable college 

financial aid offers; 

Whereas, in addition to expanding outreach and support to 

recent high school graduates, colleges and universities 

must also expand outreach and support to all undergraduate students; 

Whereas the Digest of Education Statistics for 2019 of the 

National Center for Education Statistics and the 2015– 

16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey found 

that, of undergraduate students in the United States— 

(1) approximately 27 percent are older than 25 

years of age; 


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(2) 38 percent are enrolled part-time; 

(3) 24 percent are parents; and 

(4) 86 percent live off-campus; 

Whereas the National Center for Education Statistics highlights that completion of the Free Application for Federal 

Student Aid is one of the best predictors of immediate 

college enrollment, as high school seniors who complete 

the form are 84 percent more likely to begin postsecondary education in the fall following high school graduation; 

Whereas applications for State-based financial aid are available in many States for students who do not qualify for 

Federal student aid; and 

Whereas the ongoing impact of the COVID–19 pandemic on 

communities, families, and educational systems across the 

United States underscores and reinforces the value of ensuring that all individuals, including students enrolled in 

high school and working adults— 

(1) understand their postsecondary options; 

(2) understand college financing opportunities; and 

(3) have support to navigate the college application 

and financial aid processes: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates November 2020 as ‘‘National 

3 College Application Month’’; 

4 (2) encourages the people of the United States 

5 to— 

6 (A) evaluate options for pursuing higher 

7 education; 


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1 (B) submit a Free Application for Federal 

2 Student Aid or an appropriate application for 

3 State-based financial aid in order to receive col4 lege financing opportunities; and 

5 (C) support every student, regardless of 

6 the background, age, or resources of the stu7 dent, in obtaining the skills and knowledge 

8 needed to thrive; 

9 (3) supports efforts to better assist low-income 

10 and first-generation college students throughout the 

11 financial aid and college application process; 

12 (4) urges public officials, educators, parents, 

13 students, and communities in the United States to 

14 observe National College Application Month with ap15 propriate activities and programs designed to en16 courage students to consider, research, and apply to 

17 college and for financial aid; and 

18 (5) commends teachers, counselors, mentors, 

19 and parents who support students throughout the 

20 college application process, as well as the organiza21 tions and institutions partnering to eliminate bar22 riers to higher education. 

Æ 


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