Limited financial resources remain a powerful impediment to postsecondary education for many low-income, underrepresented students. The increasing shift in financial aid policy from grants to loans leads to a fear of incurring debt that cannot be repaid or that places an excessive burden on the family. Furthermore, concerns about forgoing income that could relieve family financial stresses during the long years of study can persuade some students to reject higher education altogether. We also do not know much about what happens to the students once they go to college, but based on data from the U.S. Department of Education we have reason to be concerned. Finally, there is little attention to cost in these studies.
Programs vary wildly with respect to per-student cost, with no appreciable relationship to outcomes.
Most comprehensive programs are very expensive and thus serve only a handful of students. Dateline UC Davis is the faculty and staff newspaper for the University of California, Davis.