Granted USA
Granted USA
  • Home
  • Founder's Narrative
  • By The Numbers
  • How It Works
  • Donate
  • More
    • Home
    • Founder's Narrative
    • By The Numbers
    • How It Works
    • Donate
  • Home
  • Founder's Narrative
  • By The Numbers
  • How It Works
  • Donate

By The Numbers

17 Colleges Visited and Nearly 600 Student-Campus Visits

"Thank you Simos and GrantedUSA for helping me dream big and imagine where my future could be! I couldn't have committed without you!"

 — RA, High School Senior


"Thank you Simos and GrantedUSA for being my first experience on not only one, but four in person campus tours and helping me discover my wants when picking a college" 

— TL, High School Junior

In a little over a year, GrantedUSA.org has traveled the equivalent of more than halfway across the country!

Consider this...

The bare minimum a family would likely spend to be able to make an informed decision about college application by visiting schools, providing the most basic SAT tutoring and then applying might represent weeks of work for the parents. And, that’s if they only have one child who seeks to apply to college. Remember that these costs, the same costs which allow for an informed choice, are not included in any scholarship that a university might provide. They come before and as such are a barrier to entry. Many qualified or aspiring students might not even apply because of these costs.


Also, the reality is often likely worse than the data suggests.  Additionally the existing problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is Low-Income?

U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines used to determine financial eligibility for certain programs are set by the Department of Health and Human Services.

VIEW THE GUIDELINES

What is first-generation?

First-generation, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education, means that the student is the first in his or her family to attend college; and that neither of the student's parents or legal guardians has a bachelor degree from an institution of higher education in the United States.

LEARN MORE

The Reality.

The bare minimum for an informed college application process might cost a family 6% of their after tax income, or, represent the need for 3 additional weeks of work per year.

It’s hard to visit colleges with your child if a parent is working 60 hours per week and then has to work and additional 3 weeks a year to pay for those visits and applications.

GrantedUSA.org's Sample Cost Analysis of a moderate, aspirational goal which is out of reach for so many...

Additionally...

Our Own Data - We Surveyed Over 100 U.S.-Based Parents Earning $75,000 or Less.

  • 88% of respondents said finances were a significant consideration when visiting and applying to colleges, and, preparing for the SAT


  • 65% of parents and students did not stay overnight when visiting colleges


  • Of those who visited a college, parents and their kids only visited 2.3 colleges on average

Bloomberg Philanthropies' Data Demonstrate that...

  • Over 50% of high-achieving, lower-income students do not apply to any top-performing colleges or universities, despite their qualifications to attend; there is little doubt that the cost of applying and getting informed about schools impacts their decision. This is a breakdown in the college access model.


  • Many first-generation students lack support from their families to navigate the expensive and complex college application process.


  • Lower-income families often cannot afford to visit or apply to colleges not close to their homes, and, those students frequently do not take SAT prep classes

According to Axios...

  • At universities, enrollment has dropped 1.1% in the last year, and 3.2% since 2020


  • The median family income in the US in 2021 was $79,000. If they have two in-state college students, 23.5% of their pre-tax income would be consumed by college costs (minus financial aid and/or federal loans). 


  • However, if those two kids attend a four-year private school, it would be 81% of the pre-tax income.


  • These high college prices coupled with high visiting costs deter families from sending their kids to college. If even the costs of visiting and applying seem daunting, how can a family even contemplate the cost of attending. Especially if they are attending a college they have never been to.

Average Published Yearly Tuition and Fees by Type of College

  • Public Two-Year College (in-district students):  $3,440


  • Public Four-Year College (in-state students):  $9,410


  • Public Four-Year College (out-of-state students):  $23,890


  • Public Four-Year College:  $32,410

According to ABC

  • Nationwide ACT averages for the class of 2022 were the lowest in 30 years, with an average of 19.8 compared to 20.3 for the class of 2021

Benefits of Travel

  • In a 2020 piece by Erica Jackson Curran in National Geographic, Curran cited a 2013 survey of 485adults where travel was linked to “enhanced empathy, attention, energy, and focus.”


  • “Planning and anticipating a trip can be almost as enjoyable as going on the trip itself, andthere’s research to back it up. A 2014 Cornell University Study delved into how theanticipation of an experience (like a trip) can increase a person’s happiness substantially -much more so than the anticipation of buying material goods.”


  • Writing in Harvard Business Review in 2018, Todd B. Kashdan indicated that travel results in“personal growth - greater emotional agility, empathy and creativity”.


Help a student today!

$50.00
Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

Your contribution will enable us to grant underprivileged students the help they need to meet their goals of a higher education. 


GrantedUSA.org is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Connect With Us

Copyright © 2022 GrantedUSA.org - All Rights Reserved. GrantedUSA.org is a 501(c)(3) organization.

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept