The gap between the college completion rate of low-income students who receive federal Pell grants and other college students on the same campus is less than perhaps previously thought, with some colleges even erasing the gap completely
But the six-year graduation rate for Pell students nationally, 51 percent, still lagged 14 points behind the rate for non-Pell students, according to a report published Thursday by the Education Trust, an advocacy group for low-income and minority students.
The report, "Pell Partnership: Ensuring a Shared Responsibility for Low-Income Student Success," examines the graduation rate of Pell grant recipients at 1,149 four-year public and private colleges and universities. For-profit colleges were not included. The information was collected from participating colleges, U.S. News and World Report, federal education data and state higher education systems.
The research found completion rates even among institutions serving similar demographics of students can vary widely, and about half of the 14-point gap is caused by which schools students choose to attend. The report also includes an online data tool enbabling comparisons of completion data at colleges in the same state. In Georgia, for example, Georgia State University, , where almost 51 percent of undergraduates are Pell recipients, showed no completion gap between Pell and non-Pell students, while schools such as Albany State and Georgia Regents University had gaps of more than 13 percent.
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