Narrowing Higher Education’s Class Divide

Madison, Wis.—October 17— Higher education needs to examine how it encourages or discourages low-income students from attending four-year institutions, not only for society’s sake but also to keep pace with the reality of the U.S. population, says Peter Sacks, author of the new book Tearing Down the Gates: Confronting the Class Divide on Campus.

During a recent Magna Online Seminar of the same title, Sacks offered evidence that higher education is becoming increasingly segregated by income. For example, between 1973 and 2002, the proportion of low-income students at public and private universities decreased 10 points. Meanwhile, the proportion attending community colleges increased 20 points.

And according to projections, almost half of high school graduates in 2012-2013 will be from low- or modest-income families – those with an annual income of $50,000 or less. As a result, seeking to bridge the class divide in higher education is “not only the right thing to do but also good for institutions,” Sacks said.