The City of Philadelphia Offers Aid to College-Bound Blacks

Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia has announced that the city will soon open an office on the first floor of City Hall to aid city residents who want to go to college. The PhillyGoes2College program will help students select which school is right for them and help them navigate through the sometimes confusing world of financial aid. The office will also help students prepare for their SAT college entrance examinations and offer advice on writing essays for college applications.

Mayor Nutter stated that another focus of the PhillyGoes2College program will be to encourage colleges and universities in the city to offer scholarships that are reserved for graduates of the city’s public school system. Nutter’s goal is to have 1,000 fully funded scholarships for city students over the next two years.

The new PhillyGoes2College program is race neutral. But since 45 percent of the city’s population is black and 65 percent of the students in the Philadelphia public school system are black, the new program will disproportionately impact African Americans in a positive way.

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