Opportunity Gap

Diversity, Access, & the American Dream
PSCUs provide millions of students with the specific skills-based education they need to excel in many high-demand occupations—from information technology to medical professionals.  PSCUs offer predominantly non-traditional students a means to improve their financial situation for themselves and their families. 86 percent of students who attend private sector colleges and universities receive some form of need-based student aid; 63 percent are Pell Grant recipients.

Undergraduates who attend PSCUs have the following characteristics: 

• 63 percent are 24 or older
• 76 percent are independent
• 31 percent are single parents, compared to 16 percent of community college students and 7percent at four-year public or not-for-profit institutions
• 51 percent have parents whose highest education attained was a high school diploma or less 
• 21 percent of independent undergraduates at degree-granting PSCUs have an annual income of less than $10,000; a majority (53 percent) have an annual income of less than $30,000
• 46 percent are either African American or Hispanic/Latino 

Many of our students are juggling work, family, and school and need the focused academic delivery and flexible schedules private sector schools provide.  And while these institutions are the choice of a growing number of students seeking better jobs and improved lives, increases in the tuition and fees at private sector colleges and universities were at a lower rate than other institutions.  Ultimately, career schools offer these students a more efficient approach to completing their education so that they may sooner begin their pursuit of a brighter future.