Penn Can do More to Support FGLI Students

by Anonymous

Penn offers nearly 46% of undergraduates grant-based financial aid, with some of those students falling into the category of First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FGLI). Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS) emphasizes on their website that students from families that make between $75,500 and $140,000 receive full tuition coverage and those who make less than $75,500 are offered packages that cover the entire cost of attendance. First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FGLI) students make up just 19% of Penn students in the Class of 2027. Additionally, SRFS classifies approximately 950 students as “highly aided” as of 2018.

Despite receiving varying degrees of financial aid, many FGLI students still struggle with their financial circumstances while attending Penn. Only 3.3 percent of students at Penn are from America’s bottom 20 percent of family income, while 71 percent are from the top 20 percent and 19 percent are from the top 1 percent. As a result, low-income students can feel extremely isolated.  A low-income student can feel out of place in various ways during their undergraduate experience, whether through inaccessible fraternity/sorority dues or social events, unrelatable summer break plans, or general feelings of inadequacy compared to richer peers.

These feelings of alienation that impact FGLI students are usually referred to as “imposter syndrome.” According to Penn’s Career Services, imposter syndrome is when “you don’t feel you belong in a context or perhaps you perpetually feel underqualified.” With many FGLI students coming from secondary schools with far fewer resources than Penn and experiencing unique financial struggles while in college, many may not feel like they fit in with those who are from a higher income bracket. While we understand that a Penn education is a rare opportunity, we still believe that the university does not provide enough support for FGLI students, especially in dealing with the psychological consequences of imposter syndrome.

Penn does, however, offer some valuable resources for its FGLI students (see: FGLI Resources). This being said, Penn holds an endowment valued at more than $20 billion, yet the university only provides FGLI students with the absolute bare minimum. One example of this is the summer funding program for highly aided students. Highly aided students are eligible for $4500 worth of funding to supplement underpaid and unpaid summer internships. Many Penn students opt to stay in Philadelphia to complete internships at various organizations and companies, where the average rent for a studio apartment is around $1200 per month in Philadelphia. After rent, these students have just $900 for food, transportation, and other necessities, leaving little to no funds for personal use or savings.

While Penn’s endowment continues to grow, students face higher costs for a college education. Penn can do more. They should diversify  their student body by encouraging more FGLI students to apply and accepting more of them. Penn can accomplish this by making tuition and housing free for every FGLI student. QuestBridge, a program that connects low-income students to its partner universities, already has a partnership with Penn that covers tuition, housing, transportation, books, and some personal expenses for all QuestBridge students.

Additionally, Penn should extend dining hall hours. Staying up late after midnight, whether it is studying, partying, socializing, or at employment, is common practice at Penn, but the latest dining halls close around 10 PM on weekdays and 8 PM on weekends. This usually means an extra unpaid meal for FGLI students, for whom eating takeout every night further stresses our spending budgets.

With careful consideration of FGLI concerns, many other feasible accommodations are sure to come to the forefront. Penn’s previous president Amy Gutmann made increasing access for FGLI students a priority, but it remains to be seen whether current President Liz Magill will continue this legacy.