According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the national poverty rate increased this year and income among 15- to 24-year olds decreased b 9.3 percent in 2009 and 2010.
In addition, there are more financial aid recipients at Cal State Long Beach, according to nick Valdivia, director of financial aid at CSULB.
CSULB junior Cheng Song said poverty among college students is a problem because it causes students to spend too much time focusing on money rather than their education. Song also said he has a part-time job to help pay for school and many of his friends use financial aid.
According to Valdivia, the economy and rising costs are hurting students’ ability to focus.
“I think the economy has affected the students in general,” Valdivia said.
Vincent Novack, assistant vice president for institutional research and assessment, said that one-third of every fee increase goes toward financial aid.
According to collegeportraits.org, in 2009 and 2010, 67 percent of full-time beginning students at CSULB received some kind of student financial aid and 41 percent of full-time beginning students received Pell Grants, which are awarded based on financial need.
The website also reported that, in 2008-09, the average debt of baccalaureate recipients who began as freshmen at CSULB and accepted loans was $14,142, as opposed to nationally, where it was $24,000.
Raul Martinez, junior at CSULB, left school in 2003 so he could work to pay for college. He was recently laid off from his job and decided to come back to school this semester.
Martinez said he considers himself to be at the poverty level and, is struggling to make ends meet because he hasn’t been able to get financial aid since he left school in 2003.
Data in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study from the National Center for Education Statistics said that in 2007-2008, 29 percent of undergraduates in the U.S. were below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, that is, they made less than $15,600 a year in a one-person household.
The poverty line in 2008 was $10,400 for a one-person household.
More recent statistics for the percentage of undergraduates in the U.S. under the poverty level is not readily available.
According to Novack, middle class students need the most and receive the most financial aid.
David Dowell, vice provost of academic affairs, said unequal distribution of wealth is also a contributing factor in student poverty.
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