‘I have to start from where I’m capable:’ how low-income postsecondary students overcome financial and academic obstacles

Abstract

ABSTRACT Based on in-depth interviews with 45 low-income students at a four-year commuter university in Metropolitan Detroit, U.S. and a longitudinal analysis of their academic transcripts six to eight years later, this study examines the obstacles experienced by low-income postsecondary students in order to shed light on the reasons why some complete their degrees while others drop out. Among low-income students, we find that those who persist to degree completion have even lower incomes and report more severe financial obstacles than dropouts, including homelessness and material hardship. Yet educational debt was a strategy that ultimately led to success: low-income graduates took out more educational loans and perceived loans as a future investment, whereas dropouts were loan-averse. While both groups experienced academic obstacles such as poor performance, those who completed their degrees pursued a variety of approaches to barriers, including developing study and test-taking strategies, and seeking out assistance when needed. In contrast, dropouts were more likely than graduates to express discouragement when faced with academic challenges; they were less likely to report developing new strategies, and ultimately had lower Grade Point Averages when they dropped out. Implications for retention will be discussed.