IN 2003, the University joined other prestigious institutions around the country and implemented AccessUVa, a program designed to promote socioeconomic diversity. AccessUVa has succeeded in attracting many bright students to attend the University by providing them substantial financial aid and has brought students of all backgrounds and circumstances to the University. But since AccessUVa is still a relatively young program, many families remain unaware of its benefits.
Many still mistakenly believe that they cannot afford college. This can have serious repercussions: Many intelligent, qualified students do not obtain the higher education that is necessary for certain jobs. According to a study by two economists at Williams College, 10.7 percent of students who achieved a 1520 or higher on the previous version of the SATs are in the bottom 40 percent of income distribution. Also, according to the 2006 report by the Commission to the Future of Higher Education, only 36 percent of qualified low-income students complete a bachelor's degree compared to 81 percent of equally qualified high-income students. What's going on here?
AccessUVa is the University's commitment to meeting 100 percent of the financial need of every student. According to its Web site, the program is an innovative financial aid program that keeps higher education "accessible, affordable, and possible," as long as students meet the University's academic requirements. In order to minimize debt, AccessUVa has implemented a loan cap that cannot be exceeded during a student's matriculation. AccessUVa also meets 100 percent of need for any student whose family income is at 200 percent of the poverty level or less.
Although AccessUVa has been very successful in its four years, the program faces many obstacles. The first problem lies in identifying qualified students. While students from low-income areas can be easily identified, the majority of high-need students currently at the University come from wealthier areas such as Northern Virginia where such students are harder to pick out. This shows the difficulty in reaching talented students from low-income regions.
The second obstacle involves effective communication to the targeted audience. It is difficult for an administrator to convince high-school students to care about college, especially during the early stages where it is critical for students to take advanced classes to be considered at the University. Unfortunately, many students at this age often ignore or remain ignorant of the value of higher education.
Finally, AccessUVa wants to ensure that students become engaged in the student body once they are enrolled. One of the major concerns regarding AccessUVa is that many students feel that the administration is mainly focused on recruiting students and sustaining them financially while they are here. There currently isn't much structured support or guidance for Access students.
As University students, we have a responsibility to help the administration develop a system of support for all AccessUVa students. A group of students and I have recently formed a CIO, Hoos for Open Access, in order to address all of these issues. We realize the tremendous value in the program and have set out to help it improve. We spent the past semester working with various administrative offices to create a network of connections, and now, we want to open the group to all interested students.
Our primary goals are to reach out to prospective students and to further develop a support system. If you join us, we can participate in call nights where we talk to accepted students, meet and/or host prospective students at the University, and much more. We also hope to start a peer-mentorship program and help sponsor regular financial literacy workshops. If you love the University and want to make it as diverse as possible, we invite you to join us.
Mary Nguyen is a second year in the College of Arts & Sciences. She is a member of the AccessUVa Advisory Board in the Office of Admissions and the executive board of Hoos for Open Access.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 4 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
