President Obama unveiled a budget that included a significant commitment to higher education affordability and access, based on the principle that in order to fix our economy we must invest in our citizens to produce an educated workforce ready to compete in the global marketplace. In support of the President’s budget, the NAACP, led by its Youth & College Division, launched a nationwide campaign to urge Congress to pass the budget to support college access and affordability. NAACP youth councils and college chapters in 50 cities held in-district visits with Congressional members, town hall meetings and letter writing drives in support of the campaign.
Increasingly, many families have been priced out of college. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 400,000 qualified high school graduates put off attending college each year due to cost. With the average tuition and fees spiking by more than 58% over the course of the past eight years, outpacing wage increases during that same time period, and the average college graduate facing nearly $21,000 of debt upon graduation, it is obvious that action is needed to make college more affordable. Without additional support and attention to the issue, the U.S. is projected to fall 16 million college degrees short of meeting workforce needs in 2025.
College Access and Affordability Campaign Priorities
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