More public colleges admit high schoolers even before they've applied

Educational Talent Search provides personalized college and career counseling to first-generation and low-income students. Counselors work with students from 8th grade through high school graduation, offering one-on-one support with college applications, financial aid forms, scholarship searches, and career planning. The program has seen nearly 90% of seniors enrolling in post-secondary education, far above its 56% target.

Students who live in Afijio, with qualifying grades and involvement in the community, can apply for scholarships and aids like textbooks from the nonprofit Abel Ogundokun Odeleye Foundation. The foundation is working to ease the financial burden on students who may not be able to complete their education otherwise.

Louisiana was the first among a growing number of states requiring high school students to fill out the Free Application for Student Assistance, or FAFSA, in order to receive their diploma. Applications there increased by 26 percent in the first year of implementation, and experts say students who are aware of what financial resources are available are more likely to pursue higher education.

Students who are new to America or lack college-educated parents often don’t know their options. Increasing transparency about financial aid systems and encouraging students to strive for competitive schools are some of the ways that first-generation citizens can get a university education.

To help fix the hyper-competitive college application process, a coalition of universities are trying to develop a more equitable process. The coalition has developed a set of tools for students including a free app that helps provide straight-forward information about the application process to more than 600 colleges and universities, a "collaboration platform" where students can share their application materials and receive feedback from mentors or coaches, as well as virtual storage for students to save documents and work pertinent to their college application.

Lumen High School enrolls pregnant and parenting teens, providing a “learn-as-you-go” approach to learning that makes it possible for them to parent and stay in school. The school provides full-day child care, free baby supplies, mental health counseling and other supports to help get students to graduation day. All the Lumen High School students who graduate have been accepted into college, with 95% enrolling or choosing to start working within the six months after graduation.

Programs like Panthers Forward are working to help students and their families understand, prepare for and afford the cost of a university education. Group members can receive up to $5,000 of federal student loan debt relief and can also attend networking events, mentor discussions and access financial wellness resources. 150 students are accepted into the program each year.

In an effort to help lower student debt while benefiting the community, the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program provides 3,200 students with service jobs and pays them $700 a month.

Santa Ana College is developing a program that provides opportunities for the physical and social growth of adaptive students. The program trains student aides on how to help those with disabilities and also provides a class for students with disabilities to train with adaptive equipment. On top of improving equal access, the program also strives to provide opportunities for networking between students and aides. Within two years, the program has grown from a four-person class to a full class of 25 students.

Utah’s Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth program provides free college-level courses for credit to help young people who are incarcerated get college-ready. Those who do not pass the screening test to take college-level classes can take classes for high school credit instead.