This article is part of a series sponsored by the Scholarship America, an organization dedicated to eliminating financial barriers to educational success so that any student can pursue their dream.

Nearly ¾ of college students balance their education with part-time or full-time work—but all too often, that’s not enough to make ends meet. Three million students leave college because of unmet financial needs each year. That means three million dreams deferred; three million degrees unearned; three million steps toward a better career not taken.

Fortunately, we can act right now to start reversing that trend. As seen in our new short film, “One Scholarship Away,” a small investment at the right time can make all the difference for students facing financial struggles. And that means the difference between pursuing their educational and career goals, or getting stuck.

1. The crises that force students to drop out can often be resolved with $1,000 or less.

For Maria, Will, Bella and Alana, sudden financial setbacks ranging from $150 to $1,000 almost derailed their college and career dreams. And that is true for many of the three million students whose college careers are put on hold for financial reasons—at Scholarship America, our average emergency grant is $785, a small amount that goes a long way for students struggling to put food on the table or keep a roof over their head.

As we have reported, the 2023 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study revealed that “22.6% of undergraduate students and 12.2% of graduate students are food insecure, and 8% of undergraduate students and 4.6% of graduate students experience homelessness. These rates were even higher at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as well as for-profit institutions.”

In other words, even students who have managed to start their higher education and who are paying for tuition still find themselves struggling. And those struggles are compounded if they have children, serve as caregivers, or need to live far from campus.

2. Emergency aid scholarships have a proven effect. 

The students featured in “One Scholarship Away” are just four examples of the proven success of emergency aid scholarships in keeping students on track—and other examples abound. 

 

Read the full article about emergency student aid at Scholarship America.