More Than 80 Percent of Full-Time Community College Students, a Group That Is Disproportionately Black, Have Unmet Financial Need

Nationwide, more than 900,000 African Americans are enrolled in two-year community colleges. They make up nearly 42 percent of all black enrollments in higher education. Blacks are 14 percent of total enrollments at two-year community colleges compared to 11 percent of the total enrollments at four-year colleges and universities.

According to a new report from the Institute for College Access and Success, community college students are the least likely to receive adequate financial aid. The report found that 80 percent of full-time community college students who need financial aid did not get enough aid to cover the costs of their higher education. In contrast, just over half of the students on need-based scholarships at private four-year colleges had unmet need. The amount of unmet aid for community college students averaged over $5,000, 20 percent more than was the case five years ago.

Copyright © 2009. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.