Impact

There is a strong need for ACCESS services to ensure that college is accessible for all Boston young people. In response, ACCESS is continually expanding the reach of its high-impact advising and scholarship programs.

Need for ACCESS

• Over the past two years, more than 40% of Boston Public High School Valedictorians have applied for our Last Dollar Scholarships, meaning these top-performing students were at risk of having their dream of going to college thwarted due to insufficient financial resources.


• 70% of students enrolled in the Boston Public Schools are at or below the federal poverty level of $20,000 per year for a family of four.


• Over the first decade of the 21st century, 4.4 million college-qualified high school graduates from low- and moderate-income families will not attend a four-year college, and 2 million students will not attend college at all.


• Students from a low- or middle-income family attending community college in Massachusetts will spend about 38% of their family's annual income on net college costs; the figure jumps to 50% at 4-year colleges. These costs have risen 35% in the last five years.


• In 2002, Massachusetts had the largest decrease-- 24 percent-- in state student financial aid of any state in the nation.

Impact on Boston's Youth

During the 2006-2007 school year, ACCESS:

• Served more students than ever before in its Early Awareness, Senior Advising, and Postsecondary programs.


• Met with 2,098 Boston Public Schools seniors-- nearly 500 more students than the previous year-- and helped students complete 1,730 FAFSAs.


• Awarded nearly $650,000 in Last Dollar Scholarships to 585 students, an all-time high. Specially, 245 scholarships were awarded to 2007 Boston high school graduates and 340 scholarships were awarded to current college students.


• Returned $57 in grants, scholarships, and loans on every dollar invested in advising programs.


• Enabled students to secure more than $26 million in financial aid, an increase of more than 80% from the previous year.

For further information on ACCESS's impact on college affordability for Boston students, please refer to the ACCESS Progress Report 2006.

Learn more about higher education and the opportunity gap on the Need page or browse Research on college affordability trends and higher education.