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Keauna Lenton
English 102
Dr. Wynne
20 March 2017
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Dures, Alan, and Katharine Dures. Poverty. London: Batsford Academic and Educational, 1984.
Print.
Goastellec, Gaele, and France Picard. Higher education in societies: a multi scale perspective.
"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
"Pell Grant Income Requirements." Pell Grant Information Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
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