[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 791 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 791

  Designating November 2020 as ``National College Application Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 3, 2020

 Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Carper, and 
Ms. Ernst) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating November 2020 as ``National College Application Month''.

Whereas equality of opportunity for all people is one of the noblest aspirations 
        of the United States;
Whereas data on the benefits of higher education demonstrate that, in spite of 
        ongoing barriers to access and student success, colleges and 
        universities can still provide pathways to economic opportunity;
Whereas the United States built a thriving middle class by funding colleges and 
        universities to provide avenues to individual economic opportunity and 
        shared economic growth;
Whereas higher education enhances the economic mobility of individuals, which is 
        evidenced by--

    (1) a finding by the Brookings Institute that the median lifetime 
earnings of holders of an associate degree are uniformly greater than the 
median lifetime earnings of holders of solely a high school diploma; and

    (2) a finding by the Pew Economic Mobility Project that, for an 
individual born in the lowest income quintile, obtaining a 4-year degree or 
a higher degree is associated with--

    G    (A) an approximately 70 percent difference in the probability of 
that individual earning an income outside the lowest income quintile; and

    G    (B) a threefold difference in the probability of that individual 
going on to earn an income in the highest income quintile;

Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that--

    (1) the unemployment rate of high school graduates in 2019 who did not 
immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following 
fall semester was 18.2 percent, which is significantly higher than the 
overall unemployment rate of the United States;

    (2) approximately 34 percent of high school graduates in 2019 did not 
immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following 
fall semester, which represents a decline from the prior year in the rate 
of immediate matriculation of new high school graduates to an institution 
of higher education;

    (3) the decline described in paragraph (2) was most notable among 
African American high school graduates, who faced a 20 percent decline from 
the prior year in immediate matriculation to an institution of higher 
education; and

    (4) the unemployment rate of adults with a bachelor's degree and the 
unemployment rate of adults whose highest credential is a high school 
diploma differ by 20 percentage points, a gap that has grown larger as a 
result of COVID-19;

Whereas the National Student Clearinghouse reports that undergraduate enrollment 
        in colleges and universities is declining precipitously in the midst of 
        the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for nontraditional students;
Whereas the complexity of financial aid systems and rising college costs can 
        serve as additional deterrents or barriers for students and families as 
        they assess the viability of higher education programs as a 
        postsecondary option;
Whereas many students struggle to identify and compare postsecondary options due 
        to--

    (1) difficulties accessing school counseling services, which is 
evidenced by an estimation of the American School Counselor Association 
that the student-to-counselor ratio in the United States is 430 to 1;

    (2) an absence of reliable programmatic and institutional outcome data; 
and

    (3) a lack of comparable and understandable college financial aid 
offers;

Whereas, in addition to expanding outreach and support to recent high school 
        graduates, colleges and universities must also expand outreach and 
        support to all undergraduate students;
Whereas the Digest of Education Statistics for 2019 of the National Center for 
        Education Statistics and the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid 
        Survey found that, of undergraduate students in the United States--

    (1) approximately 27 percent are older than 25 years of age;

    (2) 38 percent are enrolled part-time;

    (3) 24 percent are parents; and

    (4) 86 percent live off-campus;

Whereas the National Center for Education Statistics highlights that completion 
        of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is one of the best 
        predictors of immediate college enrollment, as high school seniors who 
        complete the form are 84 percent more likely to begin postsecondary 
        education in the fall following high school graduation;
Whereas applications for State-based financial aid are available in many States 
        for students who do not qualify for Federal student aid; and
Whereas the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities, families, 
        and educational systems across the United States underscores and 
        reinforces the value of ensuring that all individuals, including 
        students enrolled in high school and working adults--

    (1) understand their postsecondary options;

    (2) understand college financing opportunities; and

    (3) have support to navigate the college application and financial aid 
processes: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates November 2020 as ``National College 
        Application Month'';
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to--
                    (A) evaluate options for pursuing higher education;
                    (B) submit a Free Application for Federal Student 
                Aid or an appropriate application for State-based 
                financial aid in order to receive college financing 
                opportunities; and
                    (C) support every student, regardless of the 
                background, age, or resources of the student, in 
                obtaining the skills and knowledge needed to thrive;
            (3) supports efforts to better assist low-income and first-
        generation college students throughout the financial aid and 
        college application process;
            (4) urges public officials, educators, parents, students, 
        and communities in the United States to observe National 
        College Application Month with appropriate activities and 
        programs designed to encourage students to consider, research, 
        and apply to college and for financial aid; and
            (5) commends teachers, counselors, mentors, and parents who 
        support students throughout the college application process, as 
        well as the organizations and institutions partnering to 
        eliminate barriers to higher education.
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