IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 802 
Expressing support for the designation of November 2021 as ‘‘National 
College Application Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2021 
Ms. WILD (for herself and Mr. GUTHRIE) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of November 2021 
as ‘‘National College Application Month’’. 
Whereas equality of opportunity for all people is one of the 
noblest aspirations of the United States; 
Whereas the United States has created shared economic 
growth and strengthened civic engagement through mak-
ing higher education widely available; 
Whereas higher education enhances the economic mobility of 
individual students and their families, which is evidenced 
by— 
(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; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:07 Nov 18, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR802.IH
HR802
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 802 IH 
(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; 
(3) the unemployment rate of high school graduates 
in 2020 who did not immediately matriculate to an insti-
tution of higher education the following fall semester was 
19.5 percent, which has increased during the COVID–19 
pandemic and was almost 3 times higher than the overall 
unemployment rate of the United States; and 
(4) the unemployment rate of adults whose highest 
credential is a high school diploma is almost double that 
of those with a bachelor’s degree; 
Whereas the National Student Clearinghouse reports that un-
dergraduate enrollment in higher education has declined 
precipitously since the beginning of the COVID–19 pan-
demic, particularly for students in poverty and students 
of color, as evidenced by— 
(1) 6.8 percent less high school graduates imme-
diately matriculated to an institution of higher education 
the following fall semester in 2020, which represents a 
decline 4.5 times greater than the decline from the prior 
year; 
(2) the decline described in paragraph (1) was most 
notable among graduates at high poverty high schools, 
who faced an 11.4 percent decline from 2019 in imme-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:07 Nov 18, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR802.IH
HR802
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 802 IH 
diate matriculation to an institution of higher education; 
and 
(3) the decline described in paragraph (1) also dis-
proportionately affected high school graduates at high 
minority population schools where college enrollment de-
clined by 9.4 percent from 2019, which represents a de-
cline 10 times greater than the decline from the prior 
year; 
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 and their families struggle to identify 
and compare postsecondary options due to— 
(1) difficulties accessing school counseling services in 
high school, which is evidenced by an estimation of the 
American School Counselor Association that the student- 
to-counselor ratio in the United States is 424 to 1; 
(2) an absence of reliable programmatic and institu-
tional 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 adults without 
a postsecondary degree or credential; 
Whereas the most recent data available from the National 
Postsecondary Student Aid Study commissioned by the 
National Center for Education Statistics found that, of 
undergraduate students in the United States— 
(1) approximately 27 percent are older than 25 
years of age; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:07 Nov 18, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR802.IH
HR802
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 802 IH 
(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 high-
lights 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 application are 84 percent more likely to begin post-
secondary education in the fall following high school 
graduation; 
Whereas applications for State-based financial aid are avail-
able 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 en-
suring 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses support for the designation of 
‘‘National College Application Month’’; 
(2) encourages the people of the United States 
to— 
(A) evaluate options for pursuing higher 
education; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:07 Nov 18, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR802.IH
HR802
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 802 IH 
(B) submit a Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid or an appropriate application for 
State-based financial aid in order to receive col-
lege financing opportunities; and 
(C) support every student, regardless of 
the background, age, or resources of the stu-
dent, in obtaining the skills and knowledge 
needed to thrive; 
(3) supports efforts to better assist and in-
crease opportunities for low-income, first-generation 
college students, and students of color, throughout 
the financial aid process, college application process, 
and beyond; 
(4) urges public officials, educators, families, 
students, and communities in the United States to 
observe National College Application Month with ap-
propriate activities and programs designed to en-
courage students and families to consider, research, 
and apply to college and for financial aid; and 
(5) commends teachers, school counselors, men-
tors, and families who support students throughout 
the college application process, as well as the organi-
zations and institutions partnering to eliminate bar-
riers to higher education. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:07 Nov 18, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR802.IH
HR802
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS