BestColleges.com Increases College Access for Hispanic Students with Bilingual Resources

September 26, 2017 (Seattle, WA) –BestColleges.com, a leading provider of independent college rankings and higher education research and trend reports, today announced a new collection of college prep resources for Spanish speaking students and their families.

More than 3.7 million K-12 English Language Learners speak Spanish at home, according to a 2014-2015 NCES report, representing almost 10 percent of all public K-12 students. “For students whose first language is not English, they deserve the right to choose which language they use while navigating the complicated college planning process. Many of these students have families at home who predominantly speak Spanish. We hope that these guides provide parents with an opportunity to support their children through this transitional time, rather than feeling cut off by language,” said Stephanie Snider, General Manager of BestColleges.com.

BestColleges.com updated and translated their two most popular college planning resources, the College Planning Guide for Parents and Students and the Financial Aid Overview. Each guide is offered in both English and Spanish to allow bilingual students and their parents the option to utilize these resources in whichever language they feel most comfortable.

They also translated two of their resources for Hispanic students: Scholarships for Hispanic Students and the College Guide for Undocumented Students. The Undocumented Students Guide also saw the addition of an exclusive interview with a recent undocumented college graduate, who shares his experience and advice for future students.

“In this uncertain time it is more important than ever to support and highlight marginalized voices. At BestColleges, we believe every student should have the resources to help them reach their educational goals, regardless of race, age, gender, orientation, or creed, and Spanish speaking or undocumented students are no exception to this,” added Snider.

Continue reading below for highlights from all four Spanish language resources:

By recent estimates, undocumented Americans pay $12 million each year to the Social Security Trust Fund. According to a study by The College Board, undocumented students would pay even more in taxes and help stimulate the country’s economy if higher education was more readily available to them. This guide aims to help undocumented students navigate national programs, state laws, and other resources available to them so that they may attend a higher education institution and meet their academic career goals in the United States.

You can view the English translation here.

College enrollment rates have been steadily rising among Hispanic men and women in the United States. In fact, recent data from the Pew Research Center shows that 2.3 million Hispanics between the age of 18 to 24 were enrolled in a two-year or four-year college degree program in 2014. However, 22% of young Hispanic households have outstanding debt. In this guide, higher education scholarship and financial aid opportunities for Hispanic students are outlined in order for these resources to be more readily available and to help decrease debt among Hispanic student populations.

You can view the English translation here.

About two-thirds of today’s college students rely on loans to fund their education. Yet understanding how to obtain financial aid and accessing all the financial options available can be a confusing and frustrating process for many students. The Financial Aid Overview Guide helps students discover how college financial aid works and how they can access it to achieve their academic goals.

You can view the English translation here.

After making the decision to attend college, students still have many steps to prepare for applying, including cost and academic challenges. This guide aims to help both students and parents prepare for higher education by highlighting important deadlines and benchmarks that prospective students will encounter as they plan for college.

You can view the English translation here.

About BestColleges.com
BestColleges.com helps prospective students find the school that best meets their needs through proprietary research, user-friendly guides, and hundreds of unique college rankings. They also provide a wide array of college planning, financial aid, and career resources to help all students get the most from their education and prepare them for the world after college.