Elijah Cummings
Higher education transformed my life. It was an opportunity that, working together, we can make available to everyone in our community.
In this Information Age, it is not surprising that the average annual earnings for an individual with a college degree are 60 percent higher than those of high school graduates. Yet, despite the clear benefits of obtaining a college education, far too many Americans feel that they are trapped outside the university gates, looking in.
Nationally, more than eight out of every ten high school graduates from high income families enroll in college compared to only about one-half of students from lower-income households.
For Black communities, the consequences of this disparity have been harsh.
Toward the end of the recent recession, the unemployment rate for Blacks, ages 25-29, with college degrees was 7.6 percent. However, for young Black adults without those college diplomas, the unemployment rate was a depression-level 17.8 percent.
This is why helping those who are determined to improve themselves through higher education must rank among our foremost priorities. Our future prosperity and national security depend upon properly educating all Americans who are willing to learn.
Among the most difficult challenges that we must overcome are finding ways to pay for the education that will transform our lives and those of our children.
I serve on the Board of Regents of Morgan State University, where we are doing all that we can to make a Morgan State education affordable to everyone. Along with Maryland’s other Historically Black Colleges and Universities, ours is among the most affordable paths to higher education and a transformed life.
Yet, tragically — and despite our best efforts — some students must leave school before obtaining their degrees because they no longer can afford the cost.
Few of us have the financial resources to pay, out-of-pocket, for the costs of a college education. As a result, students and their families must rely upon a combination of grants and student loans to balance the books.
Fortunately, federal assistance, approved by the Congress under the Higher Education Act, is available to help college students pay their bills.
Here in Maryland, for example, more than 120,000 college students are receiving federal Pell Grants, many at the maximum award of $5,775. Nearly 100,000 students are benefitting from federally subsidized Stafford Loans.
Nationally, the U.S. Department of Education provides approximately $150 billion dollars in annual grants and loans to more than 14 million college students — and I am determined to make these benefits more readily available.
For example, in February, I once again sponsored H.R. 860, the FAFSA Fairness Act of 2015, which would simplify and reform the complicated process for students to apply for federal student financial aid when they are no longer depending upon their parents.
Equally important, I have long understood that there are many other obstacles to prospective college students receiving the financial aid that they need and deserve. For too many, especially for those who are the first in their families to attend college, a prominent barrier is often lack of information.
They do not realize all of the assistance that is available to help pay for their tuition, fees and other college costs — and many do not know how to go about applying and qualifying for this aid.
This is the critically important information many students and parents have received in the free seminars that our congressional office has organized each year since I first entered the Congress.
Once again, our 19th Annual “How to Pay for College” Seminar will take place on Monday, November 9th from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.at the Coppin State University Physical Education Complex, 2523 Gwynns Falls Parkway, in Baltimore.
Our free event will include one-stop shopping as representatives from more than 20 different institutions of higher learning and scholarship organizations join me in better informing students and their parents about higher education and financial aid programs.
Then, during the one-hour program portion of our event, noted experts will share their knowledge about federal and state financial aid benefits, private scholarships, SAT preparation, the college admissions process and the value of our community colleges.
Participants will hear from experts provided by the U.S. Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the Central Scholarship Bureau, the College Board, College Goal Maryland, Morgan State University and Howard Community College.
As taxpayers, we are helping to fund the $150 billion in aid that our federal government provides to college students each year. We each must assure that every Maryland student who needs this help takes the steps necessary to apply, qualify and receive that financial help.
We are spreading the word about how to pay for college to everyone who might benefit.
Higher education offers the doors to opportunity — and, working together, we can help each other open those doors.
Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.