[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 449--DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 2021 AS ``NATIONAL COLLEGE 
                          APPLICATION MONTH''

  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:

                              S. Res. 449

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