Check out the NYT’s great FIXES column this week on how universities across the nation can improve the admission and retention rates of low-income students.

The reasons for these disparities are clear but the remedies are complicated. Poor kids tend to go to under-resourced high schools and, when they graduate, are often not academically prepared for top colleges. The poor students who try to obtain a degree most often enroll in public two- and four-year colleges near their homes, where attrition rates can be high and graduation rates low.

Poor students who are accepted into selective four-year universities often find themselves adrift — overwhelmed by the financial, academic and cultural challenges created by an environment shaped to serve the habits and needs of the wealthy.

Full piece here.