How family finances affect college attendance

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The average student is more likely to attend college if the student thinks their family can afford to send their child to college, according to College Affordability Views and College Enrollment, a Data Point report released in the USA by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

“College affordability is a major concern for families, and paying for college looms large for students, particularly students who would be the first in their families to earn a degree,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. “This new analysis reveals that students are more likely to enroll in college if they believe their family can afford to send them. A student’s belief in their ability to afford college may have important implications for how they search for information on paying for college while in high school or whether to apply.”

Family background has been shown in previous research to relate to the likelihood that a student goes to college. In particular, the higher the parent’s education level, the more likely a student is to enroll in college. This new analysis by NCES shows that differences in enrollment according to students’ beliefs about college affordability occur at all levels of parental education.

College Affordability Views and College Enrollment uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. This is a national study of more than 23,000 students in ninth grade in 2009. Students answered surveys between 2009 and 2016, and college transcripts were collected in 2017–18. This Data Point looks at the connection between views of college affordability in high school and college enrollment and employment three years after high school.