ScholarShare 529’s “College Countdown” Provides Resources for Underserved Students

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScholarShare 529, California’s official college savings plan, today introduced new content and resources to help underserved students navigate their paths to higher education. The initiative is an extension of ScholarShare 529’s ongoing commitment to helping this student population. The content is part of the ScholarShare 529 College Countdown program, which launched in October to help families transition their teenagers to and through college. The new material aims to support these students at a critical time, as many students across the country are less likely to enroll in college than their peers, and less likely to graduate when they do enroll.

“It is more important today than ever before for underserved students to understand and prepare for the challenges they may face on their journeys to higher education,” said California State Treasurer Fiona Ma. “Our goal is to offer solutions that can help families reach their higher education dreams.”  

ScholarShare 529 defines “underserved” as students who are underrepresented on college campuses because of the additional challenges they face in being admitted to and thriving in college. This definition commonly refers to students who are from low-income households, first-generation college attendees, and/or black or Latinx students. ScholarShare 529 also includes other student populations, such as those who identify as LGBTQIA and non-native English speakers, who haven’t been traditionally included in the definition.

The new content covers wide-ranging issues and includes:

• A panel discussion: Undeserved in the Land of Plenty: A conversation about transitioning from high school to college among underserved student populations.
• A four-article series examining timely and important topics:
  • Underserved Students: Who They Are and Support to Look For
  • 7 Tips for Parents of First-Generation Students
  • Identifying Your Student’s Community Cultural Wealth
  • Finding the Right Historically Black Colleges and Universities

For more information, visit https://collegecountdown.scholarshare529.com/.

About ScholarShare 529ScholarShare 529 serves as California’s official college savings plan. Administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, ScholarShare 529 provides families with a valuable tool that offers a diverse set of investment options, tax-deferred growth, and withdrawals free from state and federal taxes when used for qualified higher education expenses, such as tuition and fees, books, certain room and board costs, computer equipment, and other required supplies. ScholarShare 529 manages over $11.3 billion in plan assets across more than 352,000 accounts as of 12/31/2020.

To open a ScholarShare 529 account or get more information about the plan, visit www.ScholarShare529.com. For information about the ScholarShare Investment Board, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/scholarshare, like ScholarShare 529 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scholarshare529, subscribe to the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlSHU65BSCSpYCAmSVXl4Q and follow them on Twitter at @ScholarShare529.

Media ContactRyan Hoffman[email protected]

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