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Keauna Lenton

English 102

Dr. Wynne

20 March 2017

Poverty and Higher Education

For the past twenty years, advance studies have been conducted regarding the correlation

between poverty and higher education. Many of the studies have had bias results that were

heavily opinionated. In order, to understand the correlation between higher education and

poverty the following three questions must be answered based on factual evidence. The questions

go as followed:

1. What is poverty

2. What is higher education

3. If you were born in poverty, are your chances of obtaining higher education

diminished?

Poverty plays a negative role on many Americans, however its impact on education can

be detrimental to the American people. The following information will discuss poverty, higher

education and their effects on one another.

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What is poverty?

There is no one specific cause of poverty, instead there are various factors that play a

crucial role in poverty. The loss of a job, mental illness, criminal activity or lack of education can

lead to someone entering the realm of poverty.

To truly understand the meaning of poverty one must define the word and use factual

evidence to support the definition. Per Websters Dictionary poverty is the state or condition of

having little to no money, goods, or means of support. Being in poverty means being extremely

poor. Information taken from the 2012 United States Census Bureau shows that more than 16%

of the American population lives in poverty. This means that approximately 45 million

Americans have insufficient funds and cannot support themselves or their families.

American families with a household of three members have an average annual income of

$20,090.00 a year. This low income makes it very hard for the family to support themselves.

Many families in poverty or with incomes as low as $20,000.00 a year are prone to rely on

government assistance such as food stamps, section 8 housing and government Medicare. At this

point, the family has no control over their basic needs of life.

The World Bank Organization did a study on poverty and stated: Poverty is

hungry. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor.

Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job,

is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is not a choice or a life goal for anyone.

Poverty is economic inequality that is nearly impossible to escape.

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What is higher education?

Higher education was created for students who graduate from their post-secondary

education to obtain a mastery in a specific field of study. Per the World Declaration on Higher

Education, higher education is defined as all types of studies, training for research at the post-

secondary level, provided by universities or other educational establishments that are approved

as institutions of higher education by the competent state authorities.

Higher education is crucial for the development of Americans because colleges produce

doctors, lawyers and educators. However, its increase in cost makes it difficult for the average

American to obtain their desired degree. Degrees demonstrate mastery in a specific subject

based upon what type of degree is obtained. There are four levels of degrees that can be obtained.

The first is an Associate degree that involves two years of higher education. The second is a

Bachelors degree which involves four years of higher education. The third is a Masters degree

that involves four years of higher education. Lastly is a Doctorate degree that takes an average of

6 to 8 years to obtain.

Each individual degree is an accomplishment in society. However, these

accomplishments come with a cost. Higher education unlike secondary education can be

extremely costly. Higher education includes private institutions that cost an average of

$60,000.00 a year to attend and public institutions that cost an average of $30,000.00 of year to

attend. Higher education has had an annual growth rate of 7.4% a year making it difficult for the

average American to pay for higher education. The average American makes roughly $32,000.00

a year with an annual gross income of $24,000.00 a year.

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Due to the immoderate cost of higher education government assistance has been put in

place for Americans. Assistance such as grants, scholarships and loans are available to

Americans trying to peruse higher education. However, everyone who applies for assistance does

not receive assistance. According to the Pell Grant Income Requirements it is possible for a

family of two to have an annual income of $30,000.00 a year and not receive a grant from the

government. However, if a family of three has an annual income of $40,000.00 a year then their

request for government assistance regarding higher education would be strongly considered.

This mathematical calculations that the government puts in place in order to determine

eligibility for grants is information that is not open to the public. However, based off the average

annual numbers, it is unrealistic for a family of two surviving off of $30,000.00 a year, to be able

to attend a college or university that cost the same as their annual income, espically without

government assistance. There are other methods of receiving money such as loans.

Unfortunately, loans must be paid back, have interest rates as high as 10.5%, and can leave

families in extreme debt.

The time consumption and cost of higher education makes earning a degree difficult to

obtain. Unless the person who is perusing the degree earns above the average American income.

However, for one to achieve this financial goal, one must attend a college or university to

achieve mastery in a subject and increase their pay worth (See Figure 1).
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Figure 1. was taken from an educational study conducted by the Hamilton project. This chart

demonstrates the correlation between increase in pay and higher education level. The higher the

degree that is obtained then the higher the pay worth. Therefore, to be financially stable without

government assistance; higher education is a necessity.

If you were born in poverty, are your chances of obtaining higher education diminished?

This last question was asked to current undergraduate students pursuing higher education

degrees. The students were not given any background knowledge about the information

regarding the study. Instead they were encouraged to answer the question based on their

common knowledge of poverty and higher education. The students answered the question and

were asked to explain their answer.

Out of the students surveyed 92% answered yes to the question If you were born in

poverty, are your chances of obtaining higher education diminished?. When asked why they

believed the answer was yes; many stated that many areas that have a higher percentage of

poverty, do not have adequate education systems that can prepare students for higher education.

Due to the inadequate school systems the students who are in poverty are not properly prepared
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to compete with other students who had an educational advantage. To summarize the responses,

many students who answered yes, agreed that living in a low-income area can hinder a students

educational development due to their lack of financial stability.

The other 8% of the students answered no to the question If you were born in poverty,

are your chances of obtaining higher education diminished?. When asked to explain their

opinions, many stated that there are a plethora of government assistance and many influential

people in America who can help those in poverty achieve higher education.

Conclusion

Poverty and higher education have a direct correlation. Many people in poverty are not

fortunate enough to obtain higher education due to their financial background. Although there is

government assistance available for low income families, the assistance is not available for all

families. Higher education is only obtained if one can afford it. If one cannot afford higher

education, then they are not able to peruse a professional degree. A professional degree is what

one needs to have an income higher than the American average. Without higher education,

financial stability is difficult to obtain and the chances of joining the cycle of poverty is

increased.
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References

"2015 Poverty Guidelines." ASPE. N.p., 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Brunswick, Canada Government of New. "What is poverty? - Economic and Social Inclusion

Corporation." Government of New Brunswick, Canada. N.p., 25 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 Mar.

2017.

Ap. "Census data: Half of U.S. poor or low income." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 15 Dec. 2011.

Web. 20

Mar. 2017.

"Childhood Education." Childhood Education 8.2 (1931): 96. Web.

Dures, Alan, and Katharine Dures. Poverty. London: Batsford Academic and Educational, 1984.

Print.

Anonymous. Poverty and higher education. Equal Opportunities(2017) Academic Search

Complete. Print. 26 Feb. 2017.

Goastellec, Gaele, and France Picard. Higher education in societies: a multi scale perspective.

Rotterdam: SensePublishers, 2014. Print.

"How poverty impacts student success in higher education." Nysut. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of

Education." National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the

U.S. Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Pell Grant Income Requirements." Pell Grant Information Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
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Encounterbooks. YouTube. YouTube, 27 June 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.