A Portrait of Low-Income Young Adults in Higher Education

While the Obama administration and numerous nonprofit organizations are increasing the focus on college access and completion for larger numbers of Americans of all ages, the number of students and potential students who still are unable to enter college or earn a postsecondary credential remains unacceptably high. For many of these students, financial difficulties and obligations to work and family are the primary barriers. The Institute for Higher Education Policy’s “Portrait of Low-Income Adults in Education” presents a demographic picture of these individuals who are struggling to attend or complete college. The portrait uses data drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.

FINDINGS

Demographic Characteristics of Low-Income Young Adults

• Among 35.2 million young adults aged 18 to 26 in America, 44 percent lived in poverty in 2008, ranging from near poverty to deep poverty.
• Native American and African American young adults were more likely to be in poverty (59 percent and 57 percent, respectively) than Hispanic (47 percent), white (40 percent) and Asian/Pacific Islander young adults (40 percent)
• Young women are slightly more likely than young men to live in both near poverty (19 percent versus 17 percent) and deep poverty (28 percent versus 25 percent).

High School Diploma Attainment and College Enrollment

• Of young adults aged 18 to 26 living in poverty, 25 percent had a high school diploma or GED in 2008, and were therefore at least minimally prepared for postsecondary education.
• Between 2000 and 2008, the proportion of low-income young adults enrolling in postsecondary education increased 5 percentage points, from 42 percent to 47 percent.
• The proportion of low-income adults enrolled in postsecondary education in 2008 increased more for Hispanics (8 percentage points) and blacks (5 percentage points) than for whites (3 percentage points) from 2000.

Postsecondary Degree Completion

• The largest gap between college enrollment and college completion in 2008 among low-income young adults was for Asians/Pacific Islanders (62 percent enrolled, 20 percent attained a degree.) Whites had the next largest gap (51 percent enrollment, 14 percent attainment).
• One out of ten low-income young adults had completed a degree but remained in poverty in 2008.
• White low-income young adults were twice as likely as their black, Hispanic, and Native American low-income peers to attain a degree but remain in poverty (14 percent, versus 6 percent, 7 percent, and 6 percent, respectively.)

The entire report may be downloaded as a PDF.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Nearly half of young adults in poverty (47 percent) sought some form of postsecondary education in 2008.
• The percent of low-income young adults without a high school credential declined 6 percentage points between 2000 and 2008, to 18 percent.