Published by POLITICO
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Early national surveys of high school seniors are showing those who initially were bound for four-year colleges changing their first-choice schools for something less expensive. Some of those surveyed say they are thinking of giving up on going to college in the fall entirely.
The financial stress for families was cited. About 63 percent of students said they would still enroll in college but were worried about whether they could attend the school of their choice, while 17 percent said their plans have changed, according to the education consultants Art and Science Group.
Students with changed plans said in the survey that they would take a gap year, enroll part time at a four-year institution, go to community college, work full time or enroll in a certificate program. Some still didn't know what their plans would be. Other surveys have also found similar conclusions.
Finishing college is already a coin flip for most first-time, full-time low-income students. After six years, only 49 percent of first-time, full-time Pell Grant recipients earned a bachelor’s degree at the institution where they started, according to a report from Third Way, a center-left-leaning think tank.
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