USA (By
Aissatou Sidime, Excelencia)
August 25, 2007
— Latino students get less
financial aid for
college than any other
group, largely caused by
inadequate information
and an aversion to debt,
according to a study
released Wednesday.
With education still a
key avenue into
higher-paying careers,
that trend in Latino
college funding could
hurt the Texas economy
in the long run,
advocates say.
Latino students received
an average award of
$6,253 in the 2003-04
school year, about $640
less than the national
average and about $1,400
less than Asian
students, according to a
study by Excelencia in
Education and the
Institute for Higher
Education Policy.
Latinos also are more
likely to end up in
two-year colleges than
other groups.
Researchers say the
disparity comes from
Latino students' having
less knowledge about how
to access financial aid
and being afraid of
taking on debt.
Many students don't know
that some scholarships
are only advertised by
universities' financial
aid offices, said
Deborah Santiago, vice
president of Excelencia
in Education and
co-author of the study.
"If we had a better
sense of those options,
maybe we could get more
of the aid opportunities
that are going to other
groups."
Most government aid
programs prefer to dole
out loans because they
can be recycled as they
are paid off, said Jane
Caldwell, director of
grants and special
programs for the Texas
Higher Education
Coordinating Board,
which administers $250
million in financial
aid.
But Latino students are
often reluctant to
participate.
"They are very averse to
taking out loans, and in
the modern world, the
majority of aid is in
the form of loans,"
Caldwell said.
First-generation college
students who might be
willing to go into debt
for a college degree
often face parents who
don't realize that such
a practice is
commonplace.
"In many families there
is a defensiveness when
you mention applying for
loans," said Diego
Bernal, director of
student aid at St.
Philip's College. "That
goes to philosophies at
home of living off what
you earn, not borrowing
money, or the idea that
they can't get credit,
not realizing that
credit isn't evaluated
in student loan
processing."
Thus, Latino students
opt to attend two-year
colleges on a
pay-as-they-go basis
more than other
students, according to
the study.
Many Latino students get
into a cycle of working
to pay for part-time
classes, which limits
the type of loans for
which they are eligible,
further hindering the
aid they can get.
David Hinojosa,
education staff attorney
for the Mexican American
Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, said
the disparity could be
wiped out by improving
the counseling that many
Latino students get in
high schools.
"They attend
property-poor school
districts that are
under funded, and when
you have limited funds,
counselors are
overwhelmed," Hinojosa
said.
The long-term
implications are
significant, San Antonio
college aid experts
said.
Students are less likely
to complete college when
attending part time.
Those who graduate with
two-year degrees often
earn less than those
with four-year degrees.
Hinojosa said the
disparity could affect
the quality of the Texas
work force in the long
term. "It's going to
mean a huge economic
downturn for the greater
state of Texas as it
becomes more dependent
on the Latino population
in its work force," he
said.
Excelencia's Santiago
has called for an
increase in bilingual
marketing of aid
programs to students and
parents via
Spanish-language media.
"Posting a sign on a
school bulletin board
won't do it," she said.
"If parents aren't
informed, they will
constrain the choices
made."
