The Center Urges Lame Duck Congress to Prioritize Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an outsized impact on today’s students in college. This spring, they faced the closure of college campuses nationwide and continued to face uncertain academic and financial decisions due to our public health crisis. Today’s students—of whom 34 percent are older than 25, a quarter parents, and 60 percent working while in college—have not simply lost access to campuses and lecture halls. They have lost access to stable and secure housing, affordable and nutritious meals, on-campus child care, and other supports that enable them to succeed in postsecondary education. New reports of enrollment and retention rates in decline are especially troublesome. At a time when higher education can be a meaningful engine of economic growth, today’s students and their families face insurmountable barriers to entry and success. Congress has a critical chance to support student success during the lame duck session.

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