UC Santa Barbara’s Got Talent

A report published by the American Talent Initiative names UC Santa Barbara among a core group of ATI member institutions lauded for their Pell grant student enrollment.

Federally funded Pell grants are awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. The grants are designed to help eligible low-income students pay college costs, including tuition, fees, housing, food and other educational expenses.

“The report confirms that we are educating a large number of the neediest students in California,” said Lisa Przekop, UC Santa Barbara’s director of admissions. “We value the perspective and contributions these students are bringing to our campus, and in return we are committed to providing the services they need to thrive and graduate.”

Formed in 2016, the ATI aims to enroll by 2025 an additional 50,000 low- and middle-income students at American colleges and universities — particularly those with the greatest resources and where students have the highest likelihood of graduating, but historically have served too few students from low- and middle-income backgrounds.

Currently, the report states, 45 of 120 ATI members have Pell shares at or above 20%. UC Santa Barbara’s Pell share is 36%.

“Across all institutions eligible for ATI — that is, those with six-year graduation rates consistently above 70 percent,” the report continues, “enrollment of lower-income students is on track to meet the initiative’s goal of 50,000 additional low- and middle-income students by 2025.”

The ATI is co-managed by The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program and Ithaka S+R.