In today's increasingly competitive, global economy, all students need to graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary education. Almost 85 percent of current jobs and 90 percent of new jobs in occupations with both high growth and high wages will require workers with at least some postsecondary education. Because students understand this imperative, 83 percent of high school students expect to attend college. Meanwhile, the likelihood that an American student who enters ninth grade will be enrolled in college four years later is less than 40 percent, and only about half of students who enroll in four-year colleges will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. While college completion rates in other countries around the world are increasing, those in the U.S. are stagnant.

Far too many students leave high school without the academic preparation and financial tools to successfully jump the hurdles on the way to a college diploma. A majority of the nation's twelfth graders perform below grade level in reading and math. Similarly, only half of the 1.3 million high school seniors tested by ACT in 2007 were ready for college-level reading. Forty-two percent of community-college freshmen and 20 percent of freshmen in four-year institutions must enroll in remedial courses in basic skills such as reading, writing, and math. Less than half of students who take remedial courses in the first year earn bachelor's degrees. In its Paying Double: Inadequate High Schools and Community College Remediation issue brief, the Alliance for Excellent Education conservatively estimates that community college remediation alone costs the nation more than $3.7 billion in direct costs and lost wages annually.

Despite research indicating that high school coursework is the greatest predictor of success in college, a college-prep high school curriculum is not the norm for most students. Academic standards and high school graduation requirements are not aligned to college entrance requirements and low-income and minority students are less likely to have access to and success in college prep courses. Poor preparation, exacerbated by the high cost of a college education and insufficient financial support, creates significant barriers to and disincentives for pursuing and succeeding in postsecondary education.

It is imperative that students understand their postsecondary options and have the financial tools that will allow them to choose the best path to college or training that is most appropriate to meeting their interests and needs.

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