Editorial: Federal aid shouldn’t be contingent on G.E.D. completion

If data from the most recent census is any indication, the lifetime benefits of a college degree… If data from the most recent census is any indication, the lifetime benefits of a college degree justify almost any price tag. But for many nontraditional students, financing a two- or four-year university education might soon become too much of a hassle.

This year’s federal budget will eliminate the only two opportunities for high school dropouts to obtain government aid: A test that determines its subjects’ potential to “benefit” from higher education, and a six-credit completion requirement. As of July 1, those who can’t finish college without federal loans must first acquire a diploma or a GED.

Although a high school education might better prepare people to understand most university-level material, it seems unreasonable to require that students complete some sort of secondary degree before enrolling in, say, a foreign language class at a community college. Not only will this entail a significant investment of money and effort (the tuition for such classes can surpass $100 — a financial obstacle in itself), but many adults might not have the time to trifle with such preliminaries. In our experience, older students tend to be more dedicated but also more preoccupied with other responsibilities.

We’re not only concerned about dropouts hoping to round out their resumés. Many gifted high schoolers enroll in community colleges before they’ve graduated, both because they want to gain a head start on their university curriculum and because they want to save tuition money in doing so. Soon, these options might no longer be available.

To make matters worse, GED courses are becoming increasingly scarce. According to online publication Inside Higher Ed, many districts in California have directed their funds away from such programs and toward primary and secondary schools. Now only 12 of the state’s 112 community colleges offer the class.

Many will nonetheless maintain that universities should admit only those students who’ve obtained a previous degree. But this is for the institutions to decide — if they don’t think candidates are qualified, they won’t accept them. Admissions offices, not the government, should dictate who is and isn’t ready for college.

President Barack Obama has repeatedly emphasized that he wants all Americans to complete some form of higher education. But if the government makes it more difficult for high school dropouts and current secondary school students to pursue further degrees, this goal is bound to fall short. For once, we’d like the administration to fulfill its promises rather than undermine them. A college education shouldn’t be contingent on completing high school, no more than a rewarding future should be contingent on completing college.