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It analyzes how informational gaps affect both students and college staff, limiting access to key supports and contributing to lower graduation rates and basic-needs insecurity. Using experience from Texas colleges and a light-touch intervention study, it evaluates training, targeted resources, and improved use of financial aid data. It concludes with recommendations for colleges and federal policymakers regarding EFC/SAI and COA transparency.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-real-price-of-college-october-2021-executive-summary-and-introduction/584819/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-real-price-of-college-october-2021-executive-summary-and-introduction/584819.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Sophia Brooks","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What are the report’s main goals regarding non-tuition expenses?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The report explores how colleges can better estimate and support students’ non-tuition expenses and how students can better understand college costs and financial aid processes, especially beyond tuition.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What informational barriers did the study identify?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Students struggle to access information about the real price of college. Financial aid staff may know about emergency aid and food pantry programs but often know less about other non-tuition supports, and less knowledge reduces staff comfort in referring students.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What interventions are highlighted as helpful?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"A short video and presentation can improve understanding of cost of attendance, non-tuition supports, and the financial aid appeals process. Training and resources on negative Expected Family Contribution can also shift administrators’ understanding and help them use financial aid data more effectively.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},584819,1792208866,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962084925636,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","The Real Price of College:  \nEstimating and Supporting Students’ Financial Needs  \nEddy V. Conroy, Sarah Magnelia, Sonja Dahl, and Sara Goldrick-Rab  \nOctober 2021  \nEXECUTIVE SUMMARY  \n1  \nThe real price of college keeps rising, and it often surprises students and their families.1 People know tuition is expensive. They also usually account for books and supplies, even if they might cost more than expected. Still, they don’t always expect or fully understand how the price of housing, food, and transportation factor in.2 It’s not their fault—colleges and universities often grossly understate these costs too.3 Yet incomplete understanding has consequences. Not understanding the real price of college contributes to lower graduation rates and basic needs insecurity.4  \nThe following report explores how colleges can better estimate and support students’ non-tuition expenses. Over a year, we worked with financial aid and student affairs administrators and staff at six colleges and universities in Texas. We offered the administrators and staff training and resources related to college costs. We also tested whether a light-touch intervention at Temple University increased students’knowledge of college costs.  \nWe learned that informational barriers affect both students and college staff:  \n• Students struggle to get information about the real price of college.  \n• Financial aid staff tend to know about emergency aid and food pantry programs at their college, but tend to know less about other non-tuition supports.  \n• Staff who are not very knowledgeable about non-tuition supports are not comfortable referring students to these supports.  \nWe also learned that informational interventions can help students and staff overcome these barriers:  \n• A short video and presentation can help students understand the cost of attendance (COA), non-tuition supports, and the financial aid appeals process.  \n• A presentation and resources on negative Expected Family Contribution (EFC) can shift administrators’ understanding of key financial aid concepts and help them make better use of financial aid data.  \nThe recently announced Student Aid Index (SAI) helps colleges better understand students’ needs by allowing them to see negative values, but it does not fix everything. To help students meet their financial needs, colleges should calculate and use students’ negative EFC, train staff on non-tuition supports, and help students understand financial aid processes. Federal policymakers must also do their part by sharing full negative SAI values with colleges and re-evaluating current COA policies.  \nThis report is part of The Real Price of College Toolkit. Readers are encouraged to review this report before exploring the other toolkit resources.  \nINTRODUCTION  \n2  \nCollege prices are now between three and four times higher than they were 50 years ago.5 While tuition at four-year colleges was just $2,500 per year in 1974 (adjusted for inflation), it is now about $10,000 a year.6 In comparison, median family income rose just $2,000, from $62,000 to $64,000, between 1974 and 2015 after adjustment.7 As college prices rise, students’ ability to cover college costs diminishes. Since 1995-96, the percent of financial aid applicants with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 has doubled. A $0 EFC signifies that the student is estimated to have no financial ability of their own to pay for college. Today, two in five students fall into this category.8  \nAt the same time, students do not receive enough financial aid to cover their costs. Many experience basic needs insecurity. Nearly three in five college students lack adequate access to food or housing.9 Students at public two-year colleges had an average unmet need, the amount of financial need grantsand scholarships do not cover, of $4,920 in 2015-16.10 Students of color experience more unmet need and higher rates of basic needs insecurity.11  \nResearch conducted at The City University of New York (CUNY","cbCaimzjgFbPNE5M","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimzjgFbPNE5M","pdf",3400815,31,"English","# Executive Summary\n## Informational barriers for students and staff\n## Information interventions and training\n## Recommendations for colleges and policymakers\n# Introduction\n## Rising college prices and unmet need\n## Gaps in financial aid coverage\n## Transparency challenges and complexity\n## The Hope Center’s Real Price of College project","[{\"question\":\"What are the report’s main goals regarding non-tuition expenses?\",\"answer\":\"The report explores how colleges can better estimate and support students’ non-tuition expenses and how students can better understand college costs and financial aid processes, especially beyond tuition.\"},{\"question\":\"What informational barriers did the study identify?\",\"answer\":\"Students struggle to access information about the real price of college. Financial aid staff may know about emergency aid and food pantry programs but often know less about other non-tuition supports, and less knowledge reduces staff comfort in referring students.\"},{\"question\":\"What interventions are highlighted as helpful?\",\"answer\":\"A short video and presentation can improve understanding of cost of attendance, non-tuition supports, and the financial aid appeals process. Training and resources on negative Expected Family Contribution can also shift administrators’ understanding and help them use financial aid data more effectively.\"}]","The Real Price of College - October 2021 - Executive Summary and Introduction | PDF",1792052512,78]