What’s at Stake for California’s Latinx College Students and Borrowers After COVID-19?

On August 25, UnidosUS hosted a webinar, “What’s at Stake for California’s Latinx College Students and Borrowers After COVID-19?” about the struggle for Latinx students in the state to afford higher education in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Latino college students in California are disproportionately first-generation and low-income. Dr. Daisy Gonzales, the Vice Chancellor of the California Community College System, who moderated the event, also explained that approximately 50 percent of community college students in the state experienced food insecurity before the pandemic. Sixty percent faced housing insecurity, also before the pandemic.

Latino students are also more likely to face financial barriers when it comes to completing higher education, including a higher default rate on their student loans—if they are even able to graduate at all.

As the pandemic has continued, many students have needed to drop out of school to support their families or take care of their siblings or lost the ability to pay for their education altogether. It is critical that we continue to have conversations about how to move forward and invest in our community’s education.