A Four-Phase Model? The Impact of Shifting College Affordability Concerns Among Low-Income Families in the Summer Before Matriculation

• In Event: Postsecondary Experiences of Low-Income Students and Families

Abstract

Recent research evidence suggests that low-income high school seniors often extend deliberations over their final college destination well into the summer following graduation. Additional findings indicate that this decision-making process can also lead to a fundamental renegotiation of previous enrollment plans. This study examines how college costs factor into these summer enrollment deliberations. More specifically, this qualitative study explores the ways in which a select group of 20 college bound, low SES white and latina seniors and their parents, prepare, strategize, and ultimately make decisions over how best to pay for college in this critical period leading to fall enrollment.

Author

• Shannon M. Calderone, University of California - Los Angeles