Our nation is poised to enter a new era of college admissions, one in which institutions are no longer allowed to use race-conscious admissions that have widened the doors to a college education for some students of color.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s pending decision comes as governors and state lawmakers are fiercely attacking diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that have made once-segregated American colleges and universities more open and more welcoming to students of all backgrounds.
Those of us who work in higher education know that despite some progress, White students remain far more likely than Black and Hispanic learners to both begin and complete a postsecondary degree. We have not done nearly enough to change higher education so that students of color and students from low-income backgrounds succeed at similar rates as their White peers. Any court ruling that bans affirmative action — a useful and important remedy to past and ongoing discrimination in college admissions — will further limit the chances to achieve more equitable outcomes for students of color.
With diversity and equity initiatives squarely and unjustly in the crosshairs of state legislatures and the courts, it has never been more urgent that colleges and universities reimagine the ways they reach out to and support students of color. No matter what ruling the Supreme Court hands down or what new laws governors sign, federal and state policymakers and postsecondary institutions must devise new ways to ensure that their campuses are inclusive and welcoming spaces for students of color.
Policymakers and postsecondary institutions should start by investing in more need-based financial aid, especially at public institutions. Many students of color experience poverty, and without sufficient aid they are less likely to enroll and persist in college.
National College Attainment Network research shows that the amount of annual unmet financial need at four-year institutions for the average Pell Grant recipient surged by nearly 60 percent in five years, to more than $2,600. In Texas, for instance, even if a low-income student of color is guaranteed admission to a state university under the state’s Top 10% Rule, attendance is still impossible if the student’s financial aid package has a significant gap after all grants and loans are applied. This affordability gap stands at odds with institutions whose enrollment management strategies, by offering small merit scholarships to higher-income students, perpetuate enrollment patterns that favor White students with greater family wealth.
State governments can help eliminate these gaps by increasing funding for need-based financial assistance. Congress should double the maximum amount of Pell Grants and reform the Federal Work-Study Program to provide more financial aid to more students who truly need it.
As the political and cultural backlash against diversity and inclusion continues, students of color might feel that higher education is not for them. That sense of exclusion requires institutions, especially those that serve predominantly White students, to affirmatively make the case that students of color belong there and can succeed there. Institutions with robust outcomes for these students should communicate explicitly with prospective and current students about how they include and support students of color. Research continues to uncover strong connections between student belonging and student outcomes.
To reach more students of color, institutions should overhaul their undergraduate recruitment efforts. Institutions should reach out to communities where they have not gone historically. As institutions in California have learned over nearly three decades since the state’s voters banned the use of race in college admissions, colleges might need to double or even triple their recruiting budgets to connect with high schools from which they receive few or no applications and with communities that lack a strong history of college-going.
Finally, institutions can partner more deeply with nonprofit organizations that use proven and research-supported strategies for increasing postsecondary enrollment, persistence and completion for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Many of these organizations — Beyond 12, Bottom Line, College Advising Corps, College Possible and OneGoal, to name several — have had a significant impact on student success.
These organizations and other programs aligned with their evidence-based approaches can provide a pipeline of diverse students and families well-informed about college admissions and financial aid. Because they build ongoing relationships with students, these organizations can monitor their academic progress, provide support when “life happens” and help students explore internship and career options. Just-in-time guidance from a trusted source can be invaluable to keeping students in school and on track to earning a degree.
Even if institutions are stripped of the current tools they use to admit diverse student bodies, they aren’t powerless in the face of new legal and legislative barriers. Institutions should commit resources to proven programs and seek creative solutions to serving students of color and building a diverse and equitable environment. There is too much left to do to ensure all Americans can achieve a college degree.
Kim Cook is CEO of the National College Attainment Network.