Lite Tuition Career Gateway | Project Continuation
*** This is a multi-term project that will be continued by RMIT students *** Over the past 10 years, the United States has seen an alarming exodus of low-income students and students of color. With one of the highest student loan debts globally and tuition rates higher than that of previous years, families are feeling the impact of paying for school. We are looking to mitigate the number of students who either graduate with high student loans debt or fail to finish school once started. In additional to the growing student loan debt, there are approximately 3.9 million students with loans but no degrees in the United States. Although for obvious reasons, we would like to provide students with a simulated, practical career pathway when navigating the rigorous collegiate journey.
Connecting With The Students & Communities Who Need Us Most
Over the past 10 years, the United States has seen an alarming exodus of students. With one of the highest student loan debts globally and tuition rate higher than that that of previous years, families are feeling the impact of paying for school. Students have transitioned to trade schools, started careers that do not require degrees or just did not see the value in the piece of paper known as a degree. We are providing a service for students that could possibly impact the educational landscape and need to get the message out. We have a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and others, but need to maximize our ability to engage and connect with users that will leverage our platform. We are looking to organically gain a total of 10K active followers across all of our social media platform by Q1/Q2 of 2023
Alarming Exodus of low-income students
Over the past 10 years, the United States has seen an alarming exodus of low-income students and students of color. With one of the highest student loan debts globally and tuition rate higher than that that of previous years, families are feeling the impact of paying for school. Although obvious reasons, we would like to know what other factors may impact such a large exit of students from the post-secondary educational system. Are students transition to trade schools, starting careers that do not require degrees or just do not see the value in the piece of paper known as a degree? We are looking for the root causes to an exit of students that could possibly impact the educational landscape.
The characteristic correlation between the unbanked/underbanked and education
The FDIC reported that 25% of American households are unbanked/underbanked. Lite Tuition is looking for underlining characteristics and educational outcomes of families who are either underbanked or unbanked. We want to identify why they choose to not utilize the financial institutions and what adverse affects their decisions place on them. Most importantly, we want to analyze their educational journey and how either being unbanked or underbanked impacted them. Similarly, what areas or communities tend to fall into the highest category of being unbanked or underbanked in the United States.
The longevity of Institutions of Higher Education
In 2017, Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen said that half of the United States colleges would be bankrupt in 10-15 years. Now that we are in 2022, what does this trajectory look like for U.S. colleges? We've lost 3 million students in the last decade and 465,000 students last fall alone. Is the United States headed in a downward direction for their collegiate institutions and what is the true root cause for this unfortunate outcome? What are some possible fixes that can remedy this scenario? Is Lite Tuition a solution that can help students while aiding schools via our 529 plans, platform services and licensing opportunities?