The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)
today released a report, Expanding Access
and Opportunity: How Small and Mid-Sized Independent Colleges Serve
First-Generation and Low-Income Students, which documents the superior
record of these institutions in providing effective college learning
environments and ensuring positive educational outcomes for students from
first-generation and low-income backgrounds. The full report is available as a
PDF at www.cic.edu/CIC-Reports.
CIC President Richard Ekman noted the
significance of the report’s findings, saying, “This study lays to rest a couple
of persistent and troublesome myths regarding small and mid-sized independent
colleges. First, these institutions are not gated communities that serve only
the privileged elite; rather, they enroll a higher proportion of
first-generation students than the public sectors and a higher proportion of
low-income students than other sectors of four-year higher education. Second,
many people assume that the best choice for low-income and first-generation
students is the state university with its lower sticker price. In fact, these
student groups tend to complete their degrees on time if they attend a smaller
private college, and a higher proportion of low-income students graduate with no
debt at smaller private colleges than at public universities.”
Contrary to the prevalent stereotype that smaller private colleges are
elite institutions accessible only to high-achieving students of means, the
report findings demonstrate that independent institutions enroll students from a
wide range of family educational and economic backgrounds. In fact, smaller
independent colleges offer a pathway to upward social mobility by creating
access for students who are underserved by other higher education sectors.
At Stetson University, for example, Maria Wrabel, who graduated
in 2012, had high financial need, but was able to attend Stetson with a
combination of academic scholarships, grants, and modest loans. Wrabel was the
first in her immediate family to attend a four-year institution. While at
Stetson, she was deeply involved in poverty and homelessness community
engagement programs, coming to understand the importance of food security, food
aid, and hunger internationally. Upon graduation, she spent a year volunteering
in Vietnam through Volunteers in Asia and is now a fellow with the Jessie Ball
duPont Fund in Jacksonville, Florida. Wrabel will begin graduate studies at the
London School of Economics this fall. She says her experience at Stetson
University “was a period of discovery and growth where I developed a ‘real world
view.’ It may sound trite, but because of the small classes—from my first class
my freshman year to seminars my senior year—professors were always there for me.
They helped me be at my best academically and as a person, and helped me
understand what a significant life should really look
like.”
Perhaps most noteworthy, the success of smaller independent colleges in
serving low-income and first-generation undergraduates extends beyond mere
access to college attainment; report findings indicate that these students are
more likely to graduate in four years from a smaller private college than from a
public college or university. This exemplary track record results from the focus
of smaller private colleges on providing personalized academic experiences,
rigorous educational programs, and high levels of extracurricular
engagement.
The story of two sisters—who hail from the Bronx and are
children of Cambodian refugees who fled the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge in
the late 1970s—demonstrates the success of these colleges. Saveth Vann, a 2004
Susquehanna University graduate, earned a business administration degree with an
emphasis in global management that led to her current position with
Manhattan-based Vita Coco—a young, rapidly growing firm that is the leading
producer of coconut water in the United States. Her younger sister, Julie Vann,
didn’t think she also would be able to attend college because their father—a
maintenance worker who provided the main support for his family—died while Julie
was still in high school. Their mother, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis,
struggles with English and earns little money doing odd jobs. Yet Saveth’s
life-changing experience at Susquehanna led Julie to dream of going to the same
college. Julie worked with financial aid officers and is now enrolled as a
first-year Susquehanna student.
KEY REPORT FINDINGS
As a sector, private nondoctoral colleges and universities perform better
than other types of postsecondary institutions on many dimensions:
Access to Higher Education
- Private colleges serve a higher proportion of first-generation
and low-income students than public and private doctoral universities.
- A higher proportion of first-generation and low-income
students graduate with no student loan debt from private colleges than from
public doctoral universities.
College Experiences
- The first year of college is critical to student persistence
and success, and during this time, first-generation and low-income students at
private colleges are more likely to be taught by a faculty member and to
experience classroom environments more conducive to learning than students at
any other type of institution.
- First-generation and low-income students at independent
colleges are more likely than their peers at public doctoral and nondoctoral
universities to report meeting with an academic advisor in their first year and
having informal discussions of academic matters with faculty members outside of
the classroom by their junior year.
- Over half of all first-generation and low-income first-year
students at independent colleges report that they regularly take essay exams,
and more than three-quarters report that they regularly write papers for their
college courses—larger proportions than at public doctoral and nondoctoral
universities.
- In their junior year, first-generation and low-income students
who attend private colleges are nearly three times as likely as their peers in
public universities to report becoming involved in community service or
volunteer work because it is a class requirement.First-generation and low-income
students who attend smaller independent colleges are more likely to participate
in a range of extracurricular activities such as athletics, school clubs, and
fine arts performances; such activities have been found to strengthen student
success and persistence.
College Outcomes
- First-generation and low-income students who attend private
colleges are far more likely to graduate—and to do so on time—than their peers
at larger public universities.
- Most first-generation and low-income students at independent
colleges express satisfaction with the quality of their undergraduate education
six years after matriculation and are more likely to be satisfied than their
peers at public doctoral and nondoctoral universities.
- First-generation and low-income graduates of private colleges
tend to stay more civically-engaged after graduation by voting and volunteering
in their communities.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
To achieve national goals such as reducing educational disparity, fostering
social mobility, and advancing national competitiveness, a number of practical
steps based on the report findings can be taken:
- At the local level, high school guidance counselors should
encourage first-generation and low-income students to consider enrolling in the
institutions where they are most likely to flourish, namely smaller independent
colleges. Early in the college search process, students and their parents should
be made aware of the affordability, accessibility, quality, and effectiveness of
these institutions.
- At the state level, policymakers should view smaller private
colleges as part of a larger postsecondary ecosystem in which individual
institutions use different means and methods to contribute to the same public
purposes. Consequently, state initiatives to increase access and opportunity for
underrepresented populations should include smaller private colleges in both
their design and execution, as these institutions have demonstrated tremendous
success in these areas.
- At the federal level, policymakers should recognize the
private nondoctoral sector as highly effective in fostering the social mobility
of first-generation and low-income students. Smaller independent colleges should
be viewed as priority partners in accomplishing the federal government’s
graduation goals as set forth by the college completion initiative.
Reflecting on the policy implications of the report, P. Jesse Rine, CIC’s
director of research projects and the report’s principal author, said, “Because
American competitiveness depends upon educating students from all social and
economic backgrounds, it’s imperative that we recognize the conditions most
conducive to supporting low-income and first-generation students and then direct
resources to the institutions that have proven adept at fostering those kinds of
educational environments. Smaller private colleges should be viewed as priority
partners of state and federal governments in reducing educational disparity and
supporting economic prosperity.”
Working in tandem with small and mid-sized private colleges, local, state,
and federal officials can create conditions that ensure these providers of
educational opportunity and success maximize their contributions to achieving
national college completion goals and to restoring the social mobility essential
to securing America’s future.