[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 449 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 449

  Designating November 2021 as ``National College Application Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 16, 2021

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating November 2021 as ``National College Application Month''.

Whereas equality of opportunity for all people is one of the noblest aspirations 
        of the United States;
Whereas the United States has created shared economic growth and strengthened 
        civic engagement through making higher education widely available;
Whereas higher education enhances the economic mobility of individual students 
        and their families, 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;

    (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;

    (3) the unemployment rate of high school graduates in 2020 who did not 
immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following 
fall semester was 19.5 percent, which has increased during the COVID-19 
pandemic and was almost 3 times higher than the overall unemployment rate 
of the United States; and

    (4) the unemployment rate of adults whose highest credential is a high 
school diploma is almost double that of those with a bachelor's degree;

Whereas the National Student Clearinghouse reports that undergraduate enrollment 
        in higher education has declined precipitously since the beginning of 
        the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for students in poverty and students 
        of color, as evidenced by--

    (1) 6.8 percent less high school graduates immediately matriculated to 
an institution of higher education the following fall semester in 2020, 
which represents a decline 4.5 times greater than the decline from the 
prior year;

    (2) the decline described in paragraph (1) was most notable among 
graduates at high poverty high schools, who faced an 11.4 percent decline 
from 2019 in immediate matriculation to an institution of higher education; 
and

    (3) the decline described in paragraph (1) also disproportionately 
affected high school graduates at high minority population schools where 
college enrollment declined by 9.4 percent from 2019, which represents a 
decline 10 times greater than the decline from the prior year;

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 and their families struggle to identify and compare 
        postsecondary options due to--

    (1) difficulties accessing school counseling services in high school, 
which is evidenced by an estimation of the American School Counselor 
Association that the student-to-counselor ratio in the United States is 424 
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 adults without a postsecondary degree or credential;
Whereas the most recent data available from the National Postsecondary Student 
        Aid Study commissioned by the National Center for Education Statistics 
        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 application 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 2021 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 and increase 
        opportunities for low-income, first-generation college 
        students, and students of color, throughout the financial aid 
        process, college application process, and beyond;
            (4) urges public officials, educators, families, students, 
        and communities in the United States to observe National 
        College Application Month with appropriate activities and 
        programs designed to encourage students and families to 
        consider, research, and apply to college and for financial aid; 
        and
            (5) commends teachers, school counselors, mentors, and 
        families 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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