The Metro: The college education gap between suburban and Detroit students is big. This is how we close it.

Getting a college degree in Detroit has never been easy. More than half of all children in Detroit live below the poverty line. Many Detroit public school graduates do not enroll in college within a year of finishing high school. And of those who do enroll, most don’t earn a degree within six years.

Detroit Public Schools just recorded its highest graduation rate in nearly two decades. 

But it’s always been a hard race for Detroit kids. And right now, it could be getting more difficult. 

Student loan rules are changing in July. The programs that help low-income students get to college are on the chopping block in President Donald Trump’s latest budget. And, the department that oversees all of these things has cut its workforce in half. 

How are students impacted by these changes? How are they interpreting them? And, how do we close the college education gap between Detroit and suburban students.

The folks at the Detroit College Access Network have a sense of this. They work with students to help them navigate financial aid, applications, and what comes after. They’re want 60% of Detroit residents to have some form of postsecondary education by 2030. 

Cyekeia Lee is the executive director of the Detroit College Access Network. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.