College Access Information Hotline Designed To Remedy College Confusion

The Ohio Board of Regents

COLUMBUS, Ohio

– Good information is a remedy for the notion that college is out-of-reach for too many Ohioans.

The College Access Information Hotline, which just began service this week at 1-877-I ATTAIN (1-877-428-8246), offers callers information on preparation for college, admission, articulation and transfer and general facts about enrollment at colleges and universities throughout Ohio. In addition, the toll-free hotline service will be paired with the existing State Grants and Scholarship Hotline to deliver information about college student financial aid, directing callers to available local, state and federal sources.

“In Ohio, as elsewhere, misconceptions about college cost, student aid and academic preparation are a barrier to increasing college participation and completion,” said Roderick G. W. Chu, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. “Many low-income students do not know that there are many programs available to assist them in understanding and taking advantage of college and university opportunities.”

Ohio is ranked 39th among the 50 states in bachelor’s degree attainment, at just over 21 percent of the population over the age of 25 having a baccalaureate degree. Having been at the forefront of the agricultural and manufacturing economies of the past two centuries, Ohio’s low educational attainment places the state and its workforce in a difficult position from which to compete in the 21st century Knowledge Economy.

The College Access Information Hotline will serve to supplement the college-advisement work of overburdened high school guidance counselors. According to a report by the National Center for Educational Statistics, there is an average of one high school guidance counselor for every 315 students.

While there is an abundance of college information available on the Internet, the sheer volume of links returned by search engines and the uncertain veracity of some scholarship-search sites can be intimidating and produce additional obstacles to college enrollment.

The Ohio Board of Regents is the coordinating body for higher education in the state. Created in 1963 by the General Assembly, the 11-member public board has a direct, non-governing relationship with all of Ohio’s colleges and universities.