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Although more Latino students are receiving federal aid for college than ever before, they still get fewer dollars than their counterparts from other racial and ethnic groups, according to a report.
Released Aug. 9 by the advocacy group Excelensia in Education and the Institute for Higher Education Policy, both based in Washington, the report says that in 2003-04, Latino students received an average financial-aid award of $6,250, compared with a national average of $6,890. Asian students received the highest average award, $7,260; white students received an average of $6,955; and African-American students an average of $6,933, according to the study. It relied on data from the National Post-secondary Student Aid Survey for 2003-04, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education.
After black and Native American students, Latinos are the most likely to apply for financial aid, the report says. In 2003-04, nearly 80 percent Latino students applied for federal college aid, and 63 percent received some form of such aid.
