College affordability and access has been a story of success and setbacks in recent years. There have been some strides made in giving more students access to higher education through initiatives like the expansion of financial aid coverage through “free” community college initiatives in Tennessee and Chicago. On the other hand, the landscape of higher education access and affordability has been characterized by the removal of previous gains and the erosion of certain channels of access through various means.

One example of this kind of erosion is the Bright Futures Scholarship Program in Florida. The achievement based umbrella program for state-funded scholarships has seen a series of major changes to the ACT and SAT score thresholds that made students eligible for financial aid. By consistently raising the standards, the state government has pulled back resources for students who are most in need and tilted the scales in favor of those who are already in the best position to financially afford to pay for college. Studies have shown that the students who typically score in the upper echelon of ACT/SAT scores are those who can offer to pay for extensive test preparation courses and resources.