[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 456 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 456
Designating November 2023 as ``National College Application Month''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 8, 2023
Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Van Hollen,
Mr. King, and Mr. Grassley) submitted the following resolution; which
was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Designating November 2023 as ``National College Application Month''.
Whereas equality of opportunity for all people is one of the noblest aspirations
of the United States;
Whereas data on the benefits of higher education demonstrates that, in spite of
ongoing barriers to access and student success, colleges and
universities can still provide pathways to economic opportunity;
Whereas the United States built a thriving middle class by funding colleges and
universities to provide avenues to individual economic opportunity and
shared economic growth;
Whereas higher education enhances the economic mobility of individuals, which is
evidenced by--
(1) a finding by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the
Workforce that the median lifetime earnings of holders of an associate
degree are uniformly greater than the median lifetime earnings of holders
of solely a high school diploma; and
(2) a finding by the Pew Economic Mobility Project that, for an
individual born in the lowest income quintile, obtaining a 4-year degree or
a higher degree is associated with--
G (A) an approximately 80-percent difference in the probability of
that individual earning an income outside the lowest income quintile; and
G (B) a threefold difference in the probability of that individual
going on to earn an income in the highest income quintile;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that--
(1) the unemployment rate of recent high school graduates not enrolled
in college was 18.3 percent, nearly 5 times higher than the overall
unemployment rate of the United States;
(2) approximately 38 percent of 2022 high school graduates did not
immediately matriculate to an institution of higher education the following
fall semester, about the same percent as in 2021, and a 4.2 percentage
point decline since 2012 in the rate of immediate matriculation of new high
school graduates to an institution of higher education;
(3) the decline described in paragraph (2) was most notable among
Hispanic and male high school graduates, who faced 12 percentage point and
6 percentage point declines, respectively, from 2012 in immediate
matriculation to an institution of higher education; and
(4) the unemployment rate of adults with a bachelor's degree is nearly
half that of the unemployment rate of adults whose highest credential is a
high school degree;
Whereas the National Student Clearinghouse reports that overall undergraduate
enrollment in colleges and universities continues to decline;
Whereas the complexity of financial aid systems and rising college costs can
serve as additional deterrents or barriers for students and families as
they assess the viability of higher education programs as a
postsecondary option;
Whereas many students struggle to identify and compare postsecondary options due
to--
(1) difficulties accessing school counseling services, which is
evidenced by an estimation of the American School Counselor Association
that the average student-to-counselor ratio in the United States is 408 to
1;
(2) an absence of reliable programmatic and institutional outcome data;
and
(3) a lack of comparable and understandable college financial aid
offers;
Whereas, in addition to expanding outreach and support to recent high school
graduates, colleges and universities must also expand outreach and
support to all undergraduate students;
Whereas applications for State-based financial aid are available in many States
for students who do not qualify for Federal student aid; and
Whereas the data on the benefits of higher education underscores and reinforces
the value of ensuring that all individuals, including students enrolled
in high school and working adults--
(1) understand their postsecondary options;
(2) understand college financing opportunities; and
(3) have support to navigate the college application and financial aid
processes: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates November 2023 as ``National College
Application Month'';
(2) encourages the people of the United States to--
(A) evaluate options for pursuing higher education;
(B) submit a Free Application for Federal Student
Aid or an appropriate application for State-based
financial aid in order to receive college financing
opportunities; and
(C) support every student, regardless of the
background, age, or resources of the student, in
obtaining the skills and knowledge needed to thrive;
(3) supports efforts to better assist low-income and first-
generation college students throughout the financial aid and
college application process;
(4) urges public officials, educators, parents, students,
and communities in the United States to observe National
College Application Month with appropriate activities and
programs designed to encourage students to consider, research,
and apply to college and for financial aid; and
(5) commends teachers, counselors, mentors, and parents who
support students throughout the college application process, as
well as the organizations and institutions partnering to
eliminate barriers to higher education.
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