Question Scans

Question Scans

Question 7: Which financial assistance policies will facilitate access to and completion of post-secondary education for Aboriginal and low SES applicants?

Overview

The objective of this question scan was to discover how student financial aid policies could improve access and persistence for Aboriginal and low socio-economic status (SES) students. Searches applying a broad range of applicable terms to four major databases initially yielded 253 relevant documents. Subsequent examination of article abstracts reduced this number to 152. A search of government and professional/sectoral organization websites yielded an additional 13 articles.

The literature includes conflicting views about to whether student loan programs have a detrimental impact on access and persistence for low SES and Aboriginal students. There appears to be strong evidence, however, that providing grants and subsidies for these students increases access to and persistence in post-secondary programs. While few studies address Aboriginal students, those few confirm that financial constraints are a significant part of the complex set of educational barriers facing this group. We recommend that you read Question 6: What factors facilitate Aboriginal post-secondary success? for more information on this subject.

Some studies (Warson, 1993; Wood, 2001), while not addressing Aboriginal or low SES students directly, do provide evidence that the lack of financial aid for distance and part-time students negatively affects access. Pavel et al. (1999), Voyageur (2001) and Steinhauer (1998) assert that Aboriginal and low SES students frequently select part-time or distance education because they cannot forego income for four years to achieve a degree; furthermore, these students often live in rural areas. Perhaps, therefore, Aboriginal and low SES students could benefit from financial aid for distance or part-time studies.

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