The Need for an Advising Corps

• According to the U.S. Department of Education, 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs today require postsecondary education, yet the U.S. lags behind other nations in young adults enrolled in higher education.

• Students are currently discouraged from entering higher education by avoidable barriers such as a lack of information about financial aid and college admissions.



• The National Center for Educational Statistics has found that the national student-to-guidance counselor ratio is 488:1. The average student spends 20 minutes per year talking to his or her counselor.

• Low-income and first-generation students are particularly underserved during college admissions. According to the College Board, high-achieving students from low-income families have about the same chance of enrolling in college as low-achieving students from wealthier families.

• Nearly a quarter of low-income students who score in the top quartile on standardized tests never go to college, and many of the remaining 75 percent never attain bachelors' degrees.