More than 130 NACAC members traveled to Capitol Hill on Monday to meet with members of Congress.
Their goal? To discuss issues important to students, families, and admission professionals across the country.
The visits with Congressional leaders are part of NACAC’s annual advocacy meeting, which brings together members from both sides of the desk to advocate on behalf of students.
NACAC’s priorities center on improving college access for all students and include support for:
1. Equitable access to college preparatory coursework. Staffing and funding inequities in public schools result in uneven access to college preparatory coursework, leaving underserved students at a disadvantage.
2. Hiring, training, and equipping school counselors. The national student-to-counselor ratio in public schools is 476:1. School counselors assist students with their academic planning, development, and college applications. Students in low-income schools often have the least access to school counselors.
3. Need-based financial aid for college. Increasingly, students must rely on loans to pay for college. State and federal governments should renew their commitment to making college affordable for low-income students.
4. A federal DREAM Act. Qualified undocumented students deserve a pathway to continue their studies by pursuing a postsecondary degree or credential.
5. Protections for students and taxpayers against waste, fraud, and abuse in federal student aid programs. Students and taxpayers have collectively lost billions of dollars at the hands of unscrupulous institutions. Congress must ensure that the federal government is receiving returns on its investment in higher education.
6. Global student mobility. NACAC opposes the administration’s recent executive order denying entry to visa holders from seven majority-Muslim countries. The order, which has since been blocked by the courts, directly contradicts NACAC’s long-held belief that international students bring cultural, academic, and economic value to US education institutions.
Learn more about NACAC’s legislative priorities.
