[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 456 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 456

  Designating November 2023 as ``National College Application Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 8, 2023

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating November 2023 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 demonstrates 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 Georgetown University Center on Education and the 
Workforce 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 80-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 recent high school graduates not enrolled 
in college was 18.3 percent, nearly 5 times higher than the overall 
unemployment rate of the United States;

    (2) approximately 38 percent of 2022 high school graduates did not 
immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following 
fall semester, about the same percent as in 2021, and a 4.2 percentage 
point decline since 2012 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 
Hispanic and male high school graduates, who faced 12 percentage point and 
6 percentage point declines, respectively, from 2012 in immediate 
matriculation to an institution of higher education; and

    (4) the unemployment rate of adults with a bachelor's degree is nearly 
half that of the unemployment rate of adults whose highest credential is a 
high school degree;

Whereas the National Student Clearinghouse reports that overall undergraduate 
        enrollment in colleges and universities continues to decline;
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 average student-to-counselor ratio in the United States is 408 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 applications for State-based financial aid are available in many States 
        for students who do not qualify for Federal student aid; and
Whereas the data on the benefits of higher education 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 2023 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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