Hispanic students are under-informed about financial aid, according to a June survey of California youth by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization with headquarters at the University of Southern California.
The survey consisted of 400 Hispanics ages 18 through 24, half of whom had never attended college. Interviews were made up of 35 closed-ended questions and were conducted in either Spanish, English or both, depending on respondents' preferences.
Though the survey focused on California, the diversity among Hispanics in the state allows states with similar populations to benefit from the results as well. At UT-Austin, the Hispanic population made up 14.1 percent of the student population in the fall of 2005.
The lack of knowledge regarding financial aid, including eligibility for grants such as the federal Pell Grant, was high among respondents. More than half of those surveyed wrongly believed U.S. citizenship was required in order to apply for college financial aid.
While almost all of the respondents, 98 percent, said they thought a college education was important, only 62 percent said they thought the benefits of a college education outweigh the costs.
"I think the reason it drops down significantly is because the economic reality that students and their families live in right now is prohibitive," said Maria Estela Zarate, a senior research associate at the institute.
For the 2004-2005 school year, 5,118 Hispanic students received some sort of University financial aid based on need out of a total of 24,031 recipients who filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid applications, according to financial aid data from the Office of Student Financial Services.
The Latino Leadership Council promotes the spread of information regarding available campus resources, said Mary Gonzalez, liberal arts senior and council co-director. In a program called Sabado Gigante, Hispanic freshmen are invited to learn more about several issues, including financial aid.
The FAFSA form, along with a booklet from the Department of Education, is also available in Spanish, said Henry Urick, assistant director in the OSFS.
Mass social marketing and making sure students know about financial aid instruments will help make Hispanic students more aware of the resources available, Zarate said.
"There's just absolutely no reason why we can't divulge or market the price tag of college," she said.
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