Edufacts™
December 2005
The Higher Education Act: Increasing opportunity for 40 years
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Higher Education Act, the piece of legislation that created the federal government’s large scale involvement in funding postsecondary education for lower income citizens. By most measurements, the results of that involvement have been revolutionary, with the number of colleges, universities, and vocational schools growing rapidly, and the percentage of Americans with some higher education expanding greatly as well.
In 1960, 7.7 percent of Americans held a bachelor’s degree or higher; in 2000, that number was 24.4 percent. In 2002, a majority of the population — 55.2 percent — had attended some college, while in 1967 only 22.9 percent had done so. According to the Census Bureau, the increase in educational achievement between the late sixties and the early part of this decade accounts for 93 percent of the average gain in family income over that period.
For more information on federal student aid, for tips on how to establish high expectations for students as early as middle school, and for assistance in planning for higher education academically and financially, visit www.AIE.org. TG provides this Web site as a public service to help all families and students achieve their educational and career dreams.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Postsecondary Educational Opportunity Newsletter
About Edufacts™
As a public service, TG provides Edufacts, current information about education issues, on a monthly basis. Edufacts illustrate studies and surveys conducted by TG and other educational organizations.
About TG
TG is a public, nonprofit corporation that helps create access to higher education for millions of families and students through its role as an administrator of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). As a public service, TG provides Edufacts, a publication containing current information about education issues, on a monthly basis. Edufacts is one of the many ways in which TG promotes awareness of education issues, advising the public on national and state trends in education and student aid, and serving as a premier source of information.
High resolution files suitable for publication are available as a free download from TG’s web site at www.tgslc.org/edufacts/index.cfm. For more information, please e-mail or call kristin.boyer@tgslc.org or (512) 219-4990.