rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/make-college-more-accessible-and-affordable-for-georgia-students?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-make-college-more-accessible-and-affordable-for-georgia-students' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Georgia Budget and Policy Institute https://actionnetwork.org/groups/georgia-budget-and-policy-institute https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/147/876/normal/AN_cover_student.jpg College credentials are becoming more essential to the job search in Georgia, but the cost of attending college continues to rise while students are burdened with larger loan amounts and more obstacles to graduation. HOPE and student loans have made college more accessible, but data on scholarship recipients, awards and borrowing amounts show continued inequalities among races, ethnicities, incomes and geographic locations. Due to a variety of obstacles in and outside of the classroom like poverty, less access to advanced courses and more classes taught by teachers out of their subject expertise, Black students are among the least likely to receive the HOPE Scholarship or Zell Miller Scholarship. Borrowing rates for student loans are also highest among Black students. Given the wide wealth disparity between white and Black households in Georgia, student debt subtracts from Black wealth in young adulthood, continuing a cycle of lower wealth and assets among these households. Excessive debt can hurt students’ financial security and further contribute to social and economic inequalities outside of school. Georgia lawmakers can work to eliminate disparities and help students finish their degrees by funding a need-based scholarship that focuses on a student’s financial ability to afford school, restoring HOPE Grants at technical colleges and using a larger share of existing lottery funds to dedicate to education. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/make-college-more-accessible-and-affordable-for-georgia-students