Policy & Systems Change
Our policy team works to transform financial aid systems so that they help rather than hinder college degree attainment. We advocate on behalf of first-generation college students and students from low-income backgrounds to ensure that they have a real opportunity to graduate college.
Policy Priorities
Systems like the FAFSA, Pell Grants, and Federal Work-Study were created to alleviate unequal access to higher education. In practice however, these systems are cumbersome for administrators and unclear to students, making it difficult to deliver aid where it is most needed. By ensuring equitable distribution of resources, making college costs transparent to students, and simplifying the pathways to federal aid, uAspire seeks to create more degrees with less debt.
- Strengthen the Pell Grant
- Create equitable access to Work-Study
- Expand aid to cover indirect expenses
- Standardize financial aid terms
- Require aid offer formatting
- Mandate better loan counseling
- Streamline the FAFSA
- Reduce verification burden
- Increase access to public benefits
Read the uAspire Policy Agenda
Read the California Policy Priorities
Fellowship
As the primary consumers of higher education, students’ expertise should drive policy change. Through a paid fellowship program, uAspire supports college students from Massachusetts, California, and the Mid-Atlantic to build advocacy skills and educate those in power to make higher education more affordable and equitable. uAspire Student Advocacy Fellows gain real-world advocacy experience while building their professional network.
Meet uAspire's Student Advocacy Fellows